


Bon Voyage

by PrepareToBeMildlyEntertained



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Cruise, F/F, F/M, Fluff, M/M, Vacation, post-season 9, we're probably beyond canon divergence but what the hell
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-31
Updated: 2015-02-06
Packaged: 2018-03-04 12:45:26
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 51,995
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3068405
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PrepareToBeMildlyEntertained/pseuds/PrepareToBeMildlyEntertained
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>How many chances do you get to hunt a vampire on a cruise ship? And, hey, why not take advantage of a hunt for some much needed vacation time?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Day 1

**Author's Note:**

> Alright, this whole fic was written for this year's NaNoWriMo. It was the first time I've ever participated and it was INTENSE but I have to admit I love the final product. Big thanks to my wonderful Janel for motivating me all the way through writing it. Also, props go to her for the idea. Honestly, this wouldn't exist without her. So thanks. You asked for hijinks, I hope I delivered.

The airport around them bleeped and squeaked and generally emitted noises that made Dean uncomfortable. There was a child next to them on a bench that had been crying for ten solid minutes while her mother continued to flip pages of a Daniel Steele in utter oblivion. A voice suddenly spoke over the intercom system that zone three on the flight to Omaha was now boarding. Dean shifted anxiously through it all.

“A damn plane,” he muttered. Sam huffed a laugh out next to him and paused reading something off his laptop to turn.

“This is your own fault, Dean,” he said, an obnoxious little smile on his lips. Dean glared at him. There wasn’t much he could retort with, unfortunately, as this _was_ actually his own fault. Cas cleared this throat on Dean’s other side.

He was sitting straight up in the airport’s uncomfortable blue leather chair, arms tucked tightly against his sides. The now familiar brown coat he had been sporting these days was missing from his shoulders, along with the nice suit pants. He was now wearing a pair of brand new jeans and a Hawaiian shirt so loud that people were giving him odd looks as they passed. The current duds were courtesy of Dean, along with their present location.

“Dean, we could easily skip the cumbersome plane journey if we—“

“No, no,” Sam cut off. He smiled at Dean again. “If we are doing this without any angelic help then we are doing it right. No angel mojo. Starting from vacation day one.” Dean resisted the urge to smack Sam over the back of the head. But only barely. Using his own words against him, the little bastard.

“I just don’t understand,” Hannah interrupted. She was sitting up as straight as Cas, though she looked even more uncomfortable – if that was possible – across the way from them. “This so-called ‘hunt’ would be taken care of in mere minutes if you allowed Castiel and myself to handle it with Heaven’s aid.” Dean wasn’t sure when Hannah had joined them. After they got rid of the Mark of Cain, and after Cas got his grace back, with the addition of wings for all of heaven’s abruptly outcast, she just kind of stuck around. Not that anyone minded. Sure, Hannah was a bit weird, but when Cas was your basis for comparison… Well, she fit right in.

“Because,” Dean ground his teeth. They were all making this more difficult intentionally, he was sure of it. “This is a once in a lifetime kind of hunt, ok? I mean, a vamp on a goddamn cruise ship? Who gets that chance? And we are taking advantage of it. This is the only excuse we have ever had to go on vacation, and we are enjoying it like the goddamn vacation that it is. End of discussion.” Sam rolled his eyes lightheartedly and returned to his laptop.

“I still don’t understand,” Hannah said, lowering her voice just slightly. She knew by now that, when it came to the Winchesters, Cas would go along with basically any suggestion. Although even she questioned his choice of shirt, which was yellow with large pink flowers across it. Another voice sounded over the intercom which made Dean jump a bit in his chair. He settled again just in time for another female voice to make him jump even higher.

“Alright!” Charlie came up behind Dean brightly, “that’s us! The vacation begins now!” Dean stood up on his legs unsteadily and grabbed his bags. This was his own damn fault. The only bright decision he had made thus far was getting Charlie in on the scheme. After all, now they got to sit in first class, thanks to a bit of Charlie money magic. Plus she was much less moody than Sam. She cheered everyone up. She was just a good presence for the group. She was also unfailingly in a good mood at this point, leading the group like a damn tour. Dean thought it was cute, secretly, but outside Dean was just trying not to spill his lunch before they got on the flying death trap.

Sam and Hannah stood and followed Charlie, slinging their individual bags over their shoulders. Hannah watched Sam first, then tried to follow his nonchalant body movements in the familiar gesture. Dean was a bit stuck, standing, but unwilling to move forward. A hand settled on his shoulder.

“Dean, are you alright?” Cas asked. His own bag was a light backpack which was pulled over both of his shoulders, stark black lines against his colorful shirt. The sight of Cas wearing the outfit was such a preposterous difference to his cold, serious demeanor that Dean couldn’t help but laugh. It burst out of him uncertainly with the terror of flying still swirling around his stomach, but it helped a bit.

“You know, I’m probably not,” he said with the end of his laugh. He looked up at Cas, who seemed even more concerned. “But I think I’ll get through it.” Cas stared at him for a moment and then a small smile ticked up the corners of his mouth.

“Very well,” he said. “You know, I have never had the opportunity to ride on one of these machines. They have always fascinated me.” Dean swallowed a grimace.  
“Let’s just… let’s just get this bit over with, ok?” At the gate, the others waved for them to hurry up and Dean forced himself to move. _You can do this, Winchester._ Dean thought to himself. _You took on the fucking devil. You can get on a plane._ He gave his ticket to the stewardess at the desk and she smiled and wished him a good flight.

Yeah, right.

Dean was pretty sure he blacked out for a while after that. It wasn’t that he passed out and Cas had to carry him bridal-style to his seat or anything so dramatic, just that for years afterwards Dean couldn’t remember the plane actually taking off. He couldn’t remember sitting down. And he couldn’t remember at what point he had ordered a drink, and yet the first memory he ever had of the plane was gripping tightly to the large seat with one hand and taking a swig of whisky with the other.

The five of them took up half of first class, spread out along the large chairs nearest to the front. When Dean came-to (or first started being aware of his surroundings, he was never really sure) Charlie and Hannah were sitting across the aisle from him. Charlie was gesturing widely and talking as Hannah leaned forward, utterly rapt. From the words Dean caught, he thought Charlie may have been talking about Oz. Or a video game. He wasn’t paying very close attention.  

Behind the girls, Sam was fast asleep. He was splayed all over his chair, legs taking up an absurd amount of space, and his neck was wrapped in one of those weird pillows that airports offer. Dean didn’t really get it. Then again, Sam had always had the ability to fall asleep anywhere at all. And the damn guy looked dead to the world, which Dean envied. Next to Dean was Cas.

Now, Cas had been through a lot in his time. Even just in the seven years that Dean had known him, the guy had done some insane shit. He killed angels, he told off the devil, and, hell, for a while he had been _God_. So Dean assumed he could handle just about anything. Apparently he was slightly wrong. It turns out that Cas’s limit was not killing his brothers and sisters. It wasn’t wading through hell, or, you know, _dying._ Cas’s limit was aligned with Dean’s: air travel.

He was gripping his seat tightly, his eyes clenched firmly shut. He was muttering under his breath rapidly but Dean couldn’t catch any English words. Probably Enochian. Dean shakily sat his whisky down in the center console cup holder.

“Hey, Cas?” he said. The angel breathed in and out slowly but didn’t open his eyes.

“Yes?” He very nearly sounded calm. Nearly.

“Remember when you said airplanes were fascinating?” The plane shook with turbulence and they both grabbed onto their chairs more tightly, Cas’s eyes clenching more tightly closed, and Dean’s opening more widely. They both took a minute to breathe.  
“Dean?” Cas said.

“Yeah?”

“Shut up.” Dean almost laughed. He just wasn’t quite in that laughing mood right then. The plane shook turbulently again and Cas actually began to shake in his seat. Dean’s fear turned to concern.

“Hey, buddy,” he reached over and grabbed onto Cas’s arm, squeezing tightly. “It’s, uh, it’s gonna be ok.” Cas’s eyes cracked open slightly to look at Dean.

“You also have a fear of flight, Dean,” he said. Dean glared at him.

“I’m trying to help,” he said. Cas’s eyes lost some of their suspicion. He looked down at Dean’s hand, holding onto his arm.

“Oh.” He said. He stared at Dean’s hand for another moment and took a couple of breaths before he looked up. “Thank you.”

“No problem,” Dean removed his bone-breaking grip from Cas’s arm, clearing his throat at the same moment, and returned it to his own arm rest. They both looked forward in silence for a few moments. “You want some whisky?”

“Oh, yes,” Cas breathed like a prayer. He grabbed Dean’s drink like he had just been waiting for the invitation and downed the whole cup in a single gulp. “Thank you. That helped.” Dean just raised his eyebrows. Across the aisle he caught Charlie smirking at him for whatever reason and just returned it with an eye roll. Sam snored loudly.

 

* * *

 

The docking port for the ship was huge. The ship was even bigger. It rose above them like a wall, tall enough to give Dean vertigo when he looked up to the top. He whistled as the group let their eyes take the whole thing in.

“Damn,” Charlie said. She raised her little green digital camera to take a picture but a guard of some kind approached her quickly and said, in clipped tones, that pictures from the dock were not allowed. Charlie lowered her camera sadly and nodded as the guard moved away.

“That was very rude,” Hannah said. She patted Charlie arm in a robotic movement, obviously trying to comfort her. “I am sure you will be allowed the opportunity to… take more photographs later.”

“Oh yeah, I’m not letting those guys get me down,” Charlie grinned. A smile ghosted over Hannah’s face.

“You guys ready to actually board?” Sam said.

“Anything is better than a plane,” Cas muttered. Dean tried not to laugh. He looked over their group. Charlie was wearing jean shorts and a green tank top with a backpack sitting on the ground next to her. She had a camera on a strap around her neck ‘like a real tourist’ as she had put it. Next to her stood Hannah, also in shorts. She was wearing a purple tank top with a little palm tree on it. Apparently when Charlie had been told she was picking out clothes for Hannah she had decided not to take the opportunity to pick out the fugliest clothes she could find. Which, hey, her loss.

Next to Hannah was Sam, in worn jeans and a thin, white, V-neck shirt. He had sunglasses tucked into his hair and was smiling. And then Cas, in his floral monstrosity. Like Dean was going to miss the chance to dress him like a colorblind father of three on his first island vacation. No, no. No opportunities missed there. Above them the ship blared a horn loudly.

“I have one rule for this week,” Dean said. Sam scoffed.

“Besides the no angel mojo thing?”

“Yes, besides that,” Dean said with a glare. He looked at each of them seriously and everyone began to sober up in response. Then he took a breath. “Absolutely no Celine Dion for the duration of this cruise.” Sam and Charlie groaned loudly and rolled their eyes. Dean just grinned proudly.

“God, I should have known you were going to be intolerable,” Sam said. Dean flipped him off with a smile.

“Alright, gang,” he said, looking back up at the ship, “Let’s do this.”

 

* * *

 

“Damn, this is nice,” Sam said. They had set sail only a few hours ago, but there was no land in sight anymore. The sun had gone down and now the boat was alive with Caribbean music and drunk, dancing cruise guests. The group of them all leaned over the side of the boat, looking out at the water.

“It _is_ very beautiful,” Hannah said. “Although I am unsure about the smell of the ocean.” She scrunched up her nose a bit.

“Alright, we have a slight break in vacation time,” Dean said. “Can’t be helped. But we have to go over the game plan.” Charlie sighed.

“You better not drag this vacation down in business, Winchester,” she said. Dean snorted.

“Oh, please. A vampire is an easy catch. We’ll have him by tomorrow and then we can really enjoy the rest of this week. No big deal.”

“So what’s the game plan?” Cas asked.

“So, this guy is getting one vic a week, right? All women?” He asked. They all nodded. “So, he’s finding one chick a week, seducing them, and then eating his fill. So all we have to do is sniff him out. He’s getting these chicks somewhere. So we hang out at all the cruise-y activity shit tomorrow and spot him. Pie. Everyone got it?”

“Got it. Can I get drunk now?” Sam asked. Dean sighed. Four sets of eyes were trained on him.

“Yeah, go nuts.”  The group let out a round of cheering and Dean couldn’t help but join in. A smile broke out across his face and he grabbed onto Cas’s arm, leading him towards the bar. “Cas, we are getting you drunk.” He glanced back and saw that small smile of Cas’s spread across his cheeks.

They got up to the bar and Dean marched confidently forward. He usually had a rule about colorful drinks, but all bets were off in the land of dancing drunk people on boats. Hell, Sam had something yellow in his hands with an umbrella sticking out of it and he looked like he might make a move over to the dance floor at some point. So, after a glance over the menu, Dean waved over the bartender and asked for two Haupias, heavy on the rum. They ended up being white, but were served in bright blue glasses with a little flamingo in each. Dean made his way back over to Cas and handed him one of the glasses, which the angel eyed dubiously.

“Hey, Cas?” The angel turned at the sound of his name. Dean raised his glass, “bottoms up,” he smiled. Cas raised his own glass and brought the two together. And then downed the thing in one steady stream of gulping. Yeah, this was going to work out just fine. Dean quickly downed his own cup. The rum burned in his stomach. He took Cas’s empty cup from his hands.

“Can I have another one of those?” Cas asked with interest. Dean grinned.

“I think that can be arranged.”

At the other end of the bar, Charlie had a Hawaiian Margarita sitting in front of Hannah. The angel looked to Charlie for some indication that something might be wrong, but just got a smile in return. Charlie was nice, Hannah had decided on the plane ride. They hadn’t met before this trip, but the conversation during the flight had been very nice. Hannah hadn’t followed most of it, but Charlie was very excitable and seemed much happier than Sam or Dean ever did. She lacked their severity, which was a nice change. She hadn’t yet had the experience of knowing a human who was genuinely happy a good deal of the time. Charlie just seemed brighter than the Winchesters. Like she gleamed from inside.

She picked up the oddly shaped glass in front of her and took a sip, first scrunching up her nose, then looking down at the drink appreciatively.

“This is nice,” she said. Charlie laughed, mouth open and teeth shining.

“Yeah, it’s really sweet,” she said. “I thought you’d like something sweet.” Hannah nodded and took another drink, a much longer one this time. It was a nice mix of what she thought Charlie was referring to when she said ‘sweet’ along with something sharper. Charlie sipped her own drink.

“Actually,” Hannah said, letting the drink drop from her lips, “I don’t know much about what I would…” she thought for a moment, trying out the new word like a new taste on her tongue. “Like. What I would like. I have very few experiences that are human.” Charlie laughed again. It was a very nice sound. Hannah liked it a lot when Charlie laughed. It created a little heat in the middle of her vessel’s stomach.

“That’s true,” Charlie said. She finished off her drink with a practiced flair and waved her hand, which brought the bartender back to give her a fresh glass, along with another for Hannah. “I sort of forget that. You know what, I have a new goal for us this week.” Hannah finished her drink and picked up a new one. The music around them got slightly louder. She saw Castiel ingest a few of his own drinks with Dean, and thought she saw Sam drinking his own alcohol out of very small glasses.

“What goal?” She asked. Yes, this drink she really liked. It was complex in its diverse flavors. And the pineapple on the side burned her mouth a bit, which was also nice in a different sort of way.

“This week, we get you to try as many human things as possible,” Charlie said. She was at that wonderful level of excitement again, gesturing a bit more widely, almost knocking a man over as he passed her. “That way, you know a bit more of what you like. What do you think?” She looked at Hannah a bit nervously, biting her bottom lip. Hannah considered how much she liked Charlie talking and how she liked the warmth in her stomach.

"Yes, that sounds like a nice idea,” she said with a nod. She took a deep swallow of her drink. “Does that mean we can try different types of drinks also?” Charlie grinned, although she looked a bit more scheming now. Somehow it didn’t make Hannah worried.

“Oh yes,” she said, rubbing her hands together. “We can try a lot more drinks. You’ve had some tequila now so how about we try a bit of vodka next?” They were interrupted when a man approached them, stumbling a bit. He was tall, thin, and had his hair mussed up in a way that looked very intentional.

“Can I get you ladies something to drink?” he asked in a slur. Hannah squinted at him in confusion, trying to understand his offer despite the fact that both she and Charlie already had drinks in their hands but before she could say anything, Charlie did.

“Thanks but no thanks,” she said. The man frowned a bit and opened his mouth to add more, but didn’t get the chance. “If you’re getting ready to drop a line, I’d advise you pick it up prematurely. I’m not buying what you’re selling.” The man shut his mouth with an audible click before stumbling away, muttering.

“That was strange,” Hannah said. Charlie waved a hand at her.

“So, where were we? Oh yeah, vodka!”

Meanwhile, Sam had come to the end of a line of shots that had all been very good. They burned in his stomach and blurred his mind. He was on his way to being well and truly drunk, thank god. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to be on the vacation – he really did. In fact, he was excited to clock in some down time. It was just that he was very apparently the odd man out.

He knew going into this that Dean and Cas were going to be all buddied up. That was just them. Once Cas was around, Dean’s focus shifted drastically. Actually, the angel didn’t even have to be in the room for Dean’s mind to be on him, but that was beside the current point. They had their ‘profound bond’ and no way in hell was Sam going to try to crash that party. Way too much eye sex for his taste. Then there was Charlie and Hannah, but Sam knew from the moment they met they were going to buddy off too. Charlie just seemed to click with her. Which left Sam.

The alcohol pumped through his blood quickly. He was already feeling loose and happier than he had in a while. Dean was right when he said they needed this. The dance floor swayed in front of his eyes in an almost tantalizing sort of way. He didn’t consider himself a dancer, really, but get him drunk enough? Shit happens. But he didn’t think he was quite there yet. He signaled for another drink.

Next to him, a woman with straight black hair that came to just below her shoulders pushed her way to the bar. She was olive skinned and tall with thick lips, which were coated in a dark red gloss. Her cheekbones were sharp and striking. Sam swallowed thickly and tried to keep his eyes focused on his shot when it arrived. She ordered a strawberry daiquiri and sat down on the stool next to him with a small smile in his direction, which he clumsily returned. With an appraising glance up and down, the woman turned in her chair so she was facing Sam.

“So,” she asked, “you one of the cruise loners?” Sam was moderately taken aback by her abruptness but recovered in time for her drink to arrive.

“Uh,” he stumbled, “no. I’m here with my, uh, family. Well, I mean, my brother. And some friends.” The woman looked around behind Sam, obviously teasing.

"Oh yeah?” she asked. Sam coughed and shifted in his chair. “They don’t seem to be keeping you company.”

“I was looking for a solo drink,” he said. She blinked and started to turn away from him. “No, that’s not, uh…” Sam mentally slapped himself. “I was escaping. Too much time with the same people, you know.” The woman smiled again. She held out a hand to him.

"I’m Eva,” she said. Sam turned in his chair and grasped her hand.

“Sam,” he said, smiling in a hopefully less awkward way than before. Her eyes tilted upwards when she returned the smile, which he took as a good sign. “So, what about you? Also escaping?” He asked. Eva shook her head. She took a drink of her daiquiri and licked her lips.

“No, no,” she said. “Full on loner. And not at all ashamed.”

“You don’t seem like it,” Sam said with a light laugh. She raised an eyebrow.

“And what do you mean by that?”

“I just, uh,” Sam was drowning again. It had been too long since he had last done this, the flirting thing. He hadn’t exactly had time to go to bars in recent months. “You’re just really confident. You don’t look like you are ashamed of something easily.”

“Oh, good answer, Sam,” she said. She smiled again, showing off her teeth. They were pearly white against her dark lipstick, which Sam was having a hard time not looking at. “So, your name is Sam. And you’re here with a brother and some friends, supposedly,” she said. She raised another eyebrow at him and Sam laughed, ducking his head. “Anything else I should know about you?”

“This is my first cruise?” he said with an uncomfortable laugh. Eva shook her head.

“Oh, come on. That’s a bullshit answer,” she said. Her drink was nearly empty, but Sam’s still sat in front of him, untouched. “Let’s hear the basics.”

"Alright, uh,” Sam said. He turned to fully face Eva in his seat, and then leaned towards her slightly. “My name is Sam Winchester, I work with my brother, I’m from Kansas, and… my favorite color is yellow?” Eva laughed and nodded.

“That’ll do. My turn,” she finished off her drink. “I’m Eva Carlton, I’m a photographer, and I’m very pleased to meet you. Would you like to dance?” Sam balked. This woman was fast and totally had him. She was striking and cool and why the hell not? He grabbed for his drink and downed it in a gulp, grimacing. He had already given both his real name and actual place where he was born, so why pretend he was sober now?

“Absolutely,” he said. She smiled and stood up, holding out a hand for him.

“Shall we, Sam Winchester?” A new song came on and Sam grabbed her hand, standing up next to her. He still had about half a foot on her even with her heels. He just smiled and followed her out to the floor. He caught Dean’s eye as he made his way through the people and his brother just gave him a thumbs up before handing Cas another drink. God, they were impossible. He didn’t have time to think much else before Eva grabbed onto his arm more firmly and flipped him around to face her. It was a damn good thing he was as drunk as he was.

 

* * *

 

From her position at the bar, Charlie could tell that Sam was already wasted. She didn’t want to think about how much alcohol it took to get a man that tall that drunk. The math was too much for her to do – and that’s saying a lot because Charlie could do some damn big math. Although she did have an angel with her who could probably figure out the exact numbers.

“Hey, Hannah,” Charlie said. The angel in question had been downing drinks like there was no tomorrow. Charlie had thrown most of what the bar had at her, which had the bartender slightly concerned. They were going to have to split soon or the guy was going to cut them off. Or call a medical professional to figure out how a thin woman that hit, at most, 5’9” was drinking enough to knock out a linebacker.

“Yes?” Hannah asked when Charlie didn’t immediately continue. She was looser than she had been before, some of the tension in her shoulders gone. Maybe the obscene amount of drink mixing was finally getting to her.

“How much do you think Sam has had to drink?” Charlie jutted her chin in the direction of the dancing Winchester, which was a sight to behold. He did have an absolutely incredible woman dancing with him, which Charlie had to give him props for. They were practically trying to occupy the same space as they danced, which was, frankly, embarrassing to watch.

“Oh, a copious amount,” Hannah said. She sounded scientific, like she was sharing calculations on a nuclear device and not on a human being’s drunkenness. “He is very intoxicated.” Here, she slurred her words slightly, which brought Charlie’s attention back to her new friend.

“How you doing over there?” she raised an eyebrow. Hannah furrowed her brows and gave the question the level of thought she felt it deserved.

“I may be intoxicated,” she said, just as seriously as before.

“I can get behind that,” Charlie said. The bartender gave them a curious look and Charlie took the hint. “Hey, you want to go stick your feet in the pool?”

“Is that a human custom?” Hannah asked. She looked sadly at her empty cup, which Charlie was fairly sure had contained a piña colada.

“Oh yeah,” Charlie said. “100% human thing to do. You in?”

“It is something I haven’t done before,” Hannah said. “So, if you think it will be a good experience, then I trust you.” Charlie gave her a grin and grabbed her hand, leading her from the bar and to the ship’s on-deck pool. At night it was lit up with glowing lights, which twirled around across the whole deck. The water was clear and when Charlie dragged her hand through it, it felt perfectly cool. She sat down next to the pool and began to pull off her sandals, having more trouble with the buckles than she would have had a couple of margaritas ago. Hannah plopped down next to her and followed suit, right down to the confused fingers. When they both had their shoes off, they put their feet into the water at the same time. Hannah let out a long sigh.

“This is very soothing on my feet,” she said. She closed her eyes and leaned her head back. The colorful lights roved over her skin, throwing bursts of green and purple and blue against her throat and face. Charlie smiled at the sight and wiggled her toes in the water. It felt dreamily cold against her skin. The air was just warm enough, with a light breeze blowing through their hair.

“Yeah, this is really nice.”

 

* * *

 

Dean and Cas stared out at the water again, both with drinks in their hands. Dean had lost track of what drink they were at, but he wasn’t feeling stumbly quite yet. That was to come later, probably. Cas was just feeling the light buzz at the tips of his fingers, the warmth in his stomach. The moon was shining off the water in front of them.

“It is very beautiful,” Cas said. Dean’s mouth tilted up at the corner.

“Yeah, view ain’t half bad,” he said. He glanced at Cas, his eyes wandering over the angel’s new duds for possibly a few seconds more than he normally would. But it definitely was just because the angel looked ridiculous. Dean couldn’t get enough of the tropical look on Angel-of-the-Lord Castiel. It reminded him of the first time he’d talked to Cas on the phone. The absurdity of it. Like seeing a kangaroo riding a bike.

“You’re still cool with this whole vacation thing, right?” Dean asked. Cas took his eyes off the water below them to look at Dean.

“Of course, Dean. Why wouldn’t I be?” he asked. His head didn’t tilt as much as it used to, but Dean still noticed it. A barely-there head movement to one side. His I-don’t-really-get-you-sometimes face.

“I don’t know,” Dean shrugged. “You got Hannah. Probably more important stuff to be dealt with than seeing the open sea with us.” He purposely changed the final word before it came out ‘me’. He did that sometimes, almost saying ‘me’ when he meant ‘us’ or ‘we’. It wasn’t that he forgot about Sam, just that, well, sometimes his mind processed Cas as being his. Which was concerning.

“But you asked me to come,” Cas said. His head tilt continued, which meant he still wasn’t totally getting the conversation. This happened less often than it used to, Dean would admit. What he wouldn’t admit was that he missed the head tilt sometimes. He missed Cas’s squint when he missed a reference and then Dean would have to explain it or just give him a hard time. Now Cas was in on the joke, although he still didn’t always get it.

“Yeah, I asked you to come,” Dean rolled his eyes a bit, but it was good-natured. “But I would have understood if you said you couldn’t. I know I’m—we’re not the most important thing on your plate.” Dammit. He really had to work on that.

“I told you before, I always come when you call,” Cas said, with a slight shrug that almost suited him, but not quite. “And besides,” he glanced away from Dean for a few seconds, then looked back, “I missed your company.” He accompanied the sentiment with a small smile, one of his one-sided ones. The kind that Dean really could use more of in his life. A Cas smile was rare, which meant they were special. They were earned. And he liked earning them. Dean coughed, and gave Cas a small nudge.

“Yeah, buddy, missed you too,” he said, brushing off the comment a bit. Cas’s face fell, but Dean didn’t see it. He was looking out at the water again. “I still can’t really believe we’re out here.”

“Do you mean the location or in the grand scheme of your life?” Cas said. Dean glanced at him to make sure he really had heard the wry tone he thought he had in that question. Sure enough, Cas’s eyebrows were raised in the middle in an amused sort of way. Dean chuckled.

“Both, you jackass,” he said. Cas nodded once and that little smile pinched at his lips again.

“We do still have a vampire to take care of on this trip,” Cas reminded him. Which was fair. He had forgotten to even try to keep an eye out. Dean turned around and scanned the dance area and bar quickly. Lots of people. So many. And all very drunk. Sam was out on the floor dancing with someone in a very drunken fashion. So, go Sammy. And he spotted Charlie and Hannah by the pool, Charlie with her head leaned back in a full-bellied laugh while Hannah smiled softly at her. Huh.

“I don’t see him,” Dean said, turning back to Cas. The angel was looking at him straight-faced, which Dean was realizing more and more meant he was teasing and less that he was just oblivious to everything. Being human had brought out a bit of Cas’s sense of humor, apparently.

“I don’t suspect he will be wearing a sign that says ‘vampire’, Dean,” Cas said. And yeah, the guy had picked up a bit of sarcasm too, which threw Dean for a loop. But instead of bantering right back he just laughed loudly, letting himself release some of the tension he still held on to. Cas continued to hold an unimpressed expression.

“Good point,” Dean said when he finally stopped laughing. He wiped at the corner of his eye. “Maybe we should have the captain announce that all supernatural beings have to wear labels now. Our job would be much easier than it is already going to be.” Cas nodded like he was considering the idea.

“They may complain of unfair treatment,” Cas said.

“And then we could have a riot on our hands of angry cruise-going monsters who just came out to have a good time!” Dean laughed. Cas tilted his head in agreement.

“So perhaps our time would be better spent in just hunting the single vampire,” he said.

“You just might be right,” Dean agreed seriously. They both held their serious expressions for around five seconds before breaking into smiles. While Dean laughed, Cas actually chuckled, which was a wonder on its own. Dean grabbed Cas’s shoulder firmly and looked at him head on.

“I’m really glad you came,” he said. Cas looked slightly bashful.

“As am I.” They both smiled at each other for a little while before Dean cleared his throat and looked down and away. He didn’t know when they had drawn so close, but they were both heavily entrenched in what Dean would label ‘personal space’. Then again, they hadn’t really cared about where that line ended for a while now. Some rules just didn’t apply to Cas. So he didn’t bother to move away while they both looked out at the reflective ocean.

“You catch sight of Sammy down there on the dance floor?” Dean suddenly asked. Cas turned first to look at him and then back behind them to the floor. Sam was really into it now, flowing with the music with his hands all over the woman in front of him. She stood in front of Sam, arms reaching up and around his neck while they both swayed to the music. Sam’s hands were down on the woman’s waist, moving along with her. Dean whistled but it went unheard over the music.

“He is very intoxicated,” Cas said, with a glint in his eye.

“Oh yeah,” Dean agreed. “He’ll feel that tomorrow. But it looks like he’s doing fine for now. You want to take one last look around for Dracula?” When Cas nodded, they both leaned off the boat’s railing and moved back towards the group of people closest to the bar. They wound their way around a few groups, mostly drunk, and came out on the other side to stand next to each other.

“Still no one wearing a sign,” Cas said. Dean smiled at him. So he was getting the hang of running jokes now too. Perfect. They were probably rubbing off on those of the angelic persuasion far too much these days.

“Alright, jackass, you ready to head in for the night?” Cas surveyed the scene and then looked at Dean.

“I wouldn’t mind going someplace quieter for a while. Perhaps to watch some television.” Dean grabbed Cas’s arm and walked them a door that led back inside, the moved towards the elevators. He let go of the angel’s arm once they were out of the really crowded part of the ship.

“I think television can be managed,” Dean said. He pressed the elevator button and they both waited. Back in Dean’s room, they both sat on the bed nearest the TV, leaned up against the headboard. Dean flipped through the channels until he came across one that was showing an old Jim Carey movie.

“This good?” he asked. Cas nodded. They sat in silence while the movie was on, Dean occasionally chuckling. By the time the credits rolled, Dean was asleep. His head lolled over and fell on Cas’s shoulder, breathing calmly. Cas looked down at him for a while as the music played on the TV and names scrolled upwards. When the music faded and commercials transitioned into another movie, Cas unhappily made his move.

As gently as possible, he extricated himself from beneath the weight of Dean’s head and delicately moved the hunter into a position more suitable for sleep. He laid him down softly and pulled a blanket up over his resting form. At the end of the bed, Cas took a moment to indulge in a guilty pleasure he hadn’t enjoyed in some time. He watched Dean take long breaths in and out, utter peace on his face in sleep. Cas smiled, both corners of his mouth turning up. His stomach was warm and he was completely happy as he opened the door and took his leave, heading to his own empty room next door. Hannah must have still been out with Charlie. Good for her. He hoped that Charlie’s bright influence would rub off on Hannah. Not to mention he didn’t mind having a few minutes of quiet to himself.


	2. Day 2, Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The first real day of cruising begins and everyone is very distracted from their actual reason for being on this damn boat.

Hannah’s plate was overflowing. Dean honestly couldn’t believe the sheer amount of food she and Charlie had managed to pack onto it. They were going to get a reputation at this rate. Last night she had drunk her full weight and ended up just tipsy, and now she was eating enough for a small bear. And this was only plate one. Charlie grinned at the food with a mischievous glint in her eyes.

“Hannah, that is a great deal of food,” Cas said. He had a light plate of food in front of him, just some scrambled eggs, a slice of bacon, and a small banana. It was just enough to keep up the appearance needing to eat while not overdoing it. Apparently Hannah didn’t have these concerns.

“It is my goal to try as many human things as possible this week,” Hannah said. Charlie dug into her own French toast and smiled.

“You guys really wanna fuck with Hannah’s desire to enjoy all things human?” Charlie asked, raising an eyebrow. Dean raised his hands in surrender.

“No, no. Please enjoy. Oh, try the bacon first,” Dean reached over and pointed out the crispy strips on her plate, which were lying on top of some scrambled eggs. Hannah picked one of the slices up, looked it over curiously, and then bit down on it with a crunch. The other three people at the table all stared at her as she chewed and swallowed. After a few seconds of silence she nodded.

“This is very good,” she said. “I enjoy the texture. And the flavor is very nice.” Dean and Charlie both cheered, then dug into their own bacon.

“I always knew that even angels weren’t immune to the taste of bacon,” Charlie said. Dean grinned.

“Where is Sam this morning?” Cas asked. He picked up his banana and peeled it carefully, looking it over in a manner very similar to Hannah’s, and then took a bite. He let the mushy texture roll over his tongue once or twice before pulling a face and swallowing. “I don’t know that I appreciate this particular fruit.” Hannah looked up sharply.

“May I have it, if you aren’t planning on finishing?” she asked. Cas narrowed his eyes slightly at her, then handed over the yellow fruit. “Thank you,” she said, a light smile ghosting her face. Dean rolled his eyes, but they were on Charlie.

“Sam is sleeping it off,” he said. He wasn’t sure when his brother had stumbled in the night before, but it was late. Dean had been dead asleep. He had woken up early that morning and found Sam snoring loudly on the other bed, blissfully unaware of the world or of the massive hangover Dean was sure he had coming.

“He was drinking for the win last night,” Charlie said. She took a sip of her orange juice and promptly handed it over to Hannah, who took it and sipped without comment. “Did you see him out there on the dance floor? It was…”

“Embarrassing,” Dean nodded. “Oh yeah, I wish I had video.”

“He was also with someone,” Cas said. He pushed his plate away, not much eaten. Hannah appeared unable to comment, as she was going to town on her overfilled plate, taking at least one bite of everything there. It was too impressive to be disgusting.

“A very hot someone,” Charlie added, raising an eyebrow. Dean nodded seriously.

“Yeah, not bad for Sammy,” he said. “Then again, that was _drunk_ Sam, who has miles more game than sober Sam does. Ah, speak of the devil!” Dean called as the Winchester in question dragged his feet over to the table. He had sunglasses on and his hair was sticking up a bit in the back. He was also wearing shorts, which Dean had to admit was a look he had not seen on his brother in a very long time.

“The champion arises,” Charlie said. She pushed away her own plate, but kept her eye on Hannah’s progress and occasionally pointed out something to try next.

“Morning,” Sam muttered. He collapsed into a chair at the end of the table between Charlie and Cas.

“Good morning, Sam,” Cas said. He reached for his discarded plate. “Would you care for some eggs?” The eggs on the plate jiggled when he held them out. Sam groaned loudly and closed his eyes, leaning his head back over the chair. Dean laughed loudly.

“You told him to do that, didn’t you?” Sam asked. “Asshole.” Dean chuckled again.

“No, no, that was all Cas,” he smiled at the angel and Cas responded with a similar expression, uncertain of what exactly he was being praised for. Sam leaned forward slightly and threw his middle finger up in their vague direction, which only made Dean laugh harder. Then he craned his head around to the buffet area.

“Are those mimosas?” he asked, but he was gone before anyone could confirm that, yes, those were mimosas. He returned quickly with two of the drinks in hand.

“You waiting on company?” Charlie asked.

“Hmm?” Sam mumbled. “Oh, no, these are both for me.” To prove his point, he lifted the first glass to his lips and quickly downed it, then began sipping at the next. It relaxed him quickly. Dean’s eyes widened slightly at the sight.

“You sure that’s the best call for you?” Dean said. “I’m not exactly the poster boy for healthy drinking habits but—“

“I think I’ll be fine, Dean,” Sam said shortly. He finished off his second drink and his shoulders dropped a bit, making him look more rested. He ran his hands through his hair, which was (infuriatingly) all it took to arrange it into something decent looking and carefully removed his sunglasses.

“Aww, there he is,” Charlie said, making her voice sound higher. “Welcome back to life, Mr. Winchester.” Sam glared at her, then at Dean.

“You are a terrible influence on each other,” he muttered. Dean and Charlie exchanged a proud grin.

“I’m going back for some more,” Hannah said, suddenly reentering the conversation. Sure enough, she stood and walked back to the buffet without elaborating. Charlie quickly followed, nearly knocking over her chair in the effort to catch up.

“She’s going to eat us off the ship,” Dean muttered to Cas, who quirked a half smile. Sam looked at them and sighed deeply. “What?” Dean asked when he noticed Sam’s bemused face.

“Oh, nothing at all,” he said, internally rolling his eyes. _These too,_ he thought, _honestly._

"So, who was your friend last night?” Cas asked. Dean leaned forward eagerly, getting even closer to Cas.

“Yes, who _was_ Miss Mysterious?” Dean asked. Sam lowered his head, immediately bashful.

“Just, uh, just someone I met at the bar,” he said.

“And then proceeded to grind against for a good hour,” Dean said.

“And for who knows how much longer after we left the deck,” Cas added, helpfully. Sam glared at the two of them again. _Honestly._

“Can we focus on the job maybe?” Sam said shortly. “We still have a rogue vampire on this ship, in case you had forgotten.”

“Alright, don’t get your panties all bunched, Sammy,” Dean said. “Let’s choose battle stations for the day.” Charlie and Hannah arrived back at the table, the latter loaded down with a fresh plate absurdly piled up with food. None of it the same as before. She reached forward and grabbed a piece of cantaloupe before looking up at Dean to acknowledge that she was listening.

“So, who wants to do what?” he asked.

“Are we splitting up, Freddy?” Charlie asked. Sam stifled a laugh. Dean pointedly glared at her.

“Yes, we are splitting up. We’ll cover more ground that way,” he said. Sam leaned over to Charlie and spoke in a faux whisper.

“Does that make Cas Daphne?” he made sure to say it loud enough for the full table and Charlie held in her laugh just long enough to see Dean’s face turn bright red, then lost it. She and Sam both buckled over the table.

“It makes so much sense!” Charlie said, gasping for air.

“Right?!” Sam said. They both glanced over to see Dean and Cas glaring at them, but it just set them off again, laughing until they were in pain.

“And what does that make you, huh? Are you Velma?” Sam’s shoulders shook with laughter and he just shrugged, still smiling.

“Sorry, I think you already lost this one.”

“Well, what does that make Charlie and Hannah then?” Dean asked, face reddening even more. They all looked over at Hannah, who was too busy inhaling her food to pay full attention to the conversation. Sam lost it again. He wiped at his eyes.

“Oh, God, I needed that,” he said.

“Glad to see you are feeling better,” Dean muttered grumpily. Cas’s eyes just wandered from person to person curiously.

“I’m sorry,” he said, “Have we decided if Hannah is Scooby or Shaggy?” Dean side-eyed Cas, who was looking serious in all but eyes, which were twinkling dangerously.

“Oh, fuck all of you,” he said, waving his hands through the air. Cas smiled down at the table. Charlie and Sam shared a look, which Dean pointedly ignored.

“I noticed they were doing a demonstration of cooking in just a few minutes,” Hannah said, finally pushing her plate away. “Would it be productive to investigate there?”

“Absolutely!” Charlie said. She glanced around the table. “Right guys?” Dean sighed.

“Yeah, off with you both. Learn about cooking,” he said. “And keep an eye out for our guy!”

“Come on, Scoob,” Charlie said, merrily. Hannah followed her, cocking her head slightly.

“I don’t understand, is this some kind of nickname?” she asked. The rest of the conversation faded off as they both made their way away from the table and towards a door that Dean assumed led to whatever area the cooking demonstration was.

“And what about you, Velma?” Dean asked sardonically. Sam took it in stride, looking up in thought.

“I’ll handle the bar circuit today,” he said. “Vamp has gotta get his chicks somewhere.”

“And you assume he uses your methods?” Dean asked. Sam rolled his eyes and smiled.

“You got it, Freddy,” he said. He stood up and started to walk away.

“Hey!” Dean called, “How do you know I’m not buddying up with you?” Sam raised a disbelieving eyebrow.

“Seriously?” he followed it with a chuckle and finished wandering away. Dean’s face flattened in annoyance.

“He’s such a bitch,” he said. Cas stared at him.

“Does it really bother you, the names?” Cas asked. Dean’s shoulders tightened.

“Nah, it’s just them fucking with me. I’m cool,” he said. “So, what do you want to do today, Cas? Where do you think our vamp is hiding?”

“Perhaps we should observe the deck,” Cas said. Dean thought about it. Odds of the vamp being out in the day weren’t nonexistent, sure. “He would likely be wearing more clothes than others are,” Cas added, as though reading Dean’s mind. And yeah, that was possible. Kind of.

“Not quite wearing a sign, but it’s getting closer,” Dean said with a wink. Cas preened at the comment. “Alright, let’s go grab ourselves some poolside seats.” They both stood and walked towards the sunny outdoors, which glinted off the pool water. The lights from the night before still hung above the DJ station, but they were unmoving for obvious reasons.

“Am I appropriately dressed for, erm, sitting poolside?” Cas asked. He pulled his brows together at the phrasing, as through not quite sure he was using it correctly. Dean turned and looked him over, a long glance that drew his eyes from Cas’s head to his toes and then back again. He was wearing board shorts, which were blue, with a pink shirt that was covered in large yellow flowers. Dean’s second outfit choice, which he was even more proud of than the first.

“You’ll fit right in,” Dean smiled. He looked down at his own shirt, which was a simple gray V-neck, and his jeans. “But I won’t. I need to run back to the room for shorts. You wanna join?” Cas nodded and followed him.

The room was messy now, after just a day of them using it. Unlike their regular motel rooms, they hadn’t put anything up on the walls to track the current case. Mainly because room service just wasn’t as easily deterred on a huge ship like this. Dean knew they would be coming in to fix the beds up soon. He and Cas shoved their way into the slightly small space and Dean dug around in his bag for one of the pairs of simple swim shorts he had bought for the vacation. It was time to shed jeans. He finally found one, a pair of bright red trunks, and held it above his head triumphantly.

“Found them!” he said. Without really thinking about it, he dropped his jeans to the floor and stepped out of them, so he stood in nothing but his boxers. He started to pull the trunks up when he glanced up at Cas, who was standing in the doorway with a flushed face. He didn’t seem like he knew where to look, but he hadn’t turned his eyes away from Dean. They were both silent for a few beats, Dean with his shorts around his calves, and Cas staring at him like he had gotten lost and if he looked away from Dean he would be gone for good. Slowly, keeping his eyes on Cas, Dean drew his shorts the rest of the way up, pulling the elastic waistband with careful slowness. Cas swallowed visibly. He opened his mouth to say something when a knock sounded on the door.

“Here to clean!” A male voice called.

“Uh, just a second, we’re still in here,” Dean called back, voice cracking almost unnoticeably at the beginning. He cleared his throat.

“Dean--” Cas began.

“So, you ready to kick it poolside?” Dean interjected. He grabbed his phone off the mattress, avoiding Cas’s eyes, and moved around the bed. Cas looked at him almost sadly and then nodded, a curtain falling over his expression. “Good.” Dean muttered. He pulled open the door to reveal a short man, probably in his late-20s, pushing a cart full of dirty towels.

“I can come back if you are using the room, sir,” the man said cheerily. Dean shook his head and pocketed his key.

“All yours,” he said. He and Cas both stepped out of the room and made it up to the deck, where they found two chairs, ordered a couple of drinks, and let the vacation observation begin.

 

* * *

 

The cooking instructional activity was cool. No way was Charlie going to deny that. The guy had talked about how he made an average meal for everyone on the boat and it was fucking insane. The sheer amount of food left her mind boggled. Hannah also looked very serious throughout the whole thing, occasionally turning to Charlie with worry in her eyes as if to ask _how am I going to try all of this in one week?_ Charlie didn’t really have an answer to that so she just shrugged and smiled and turned her attention back to chef guy.

He flipped over a couple of pieces of fish on the grill in front of him. Charlie thought this kitchen was built only for the purposes of showing off to the public because, based on her experiences of kitchens through the Food Network, there was not nearly enough yelling in this space. It was all very calm, just a few select people in white jackets preparing some designated meals. If Charlie had to bet she’d say these were the display guys. There was also the fact that they all seemed to be reasonably attractive, chosen for the job specifically. Yeah, this was definitely the exhibition group. But there was no way Charlie was dragging Hannah away.

The angel’s brow was furrowed in full focus. She looked like she should be taking notes, except for the fact that Charlie knew she would remember every word Mr. Chef said while they were there. Actually, that could be pretty useful. Bring an angel with you to an event and they instantly remember all of the facts? Yeah, Charlie could use someone like that for a few different purposes. She mused for a minute on whether the memory would make her good at Magic, or if the angel would get hung up on the fact that it wasn’t very realistic. She’d have to think on that one. Why be friends with an angel if you didn’t take advantage of it occasionally?

The guy looked to be wrapping it up so Charlie brought her attention back around and clapped softly with the rest of the group as he finished. Hannah was still staring seriously so Charlie lightly put a hand on her arm.

“That was very interesting,” Hannah said, turning. Charlie smiled at her and Hannah returned it. She was getting better at smiling. Marked improvement had be shown only in the last two days. At first, she hardly ever cracked her thoughtfully severe expression. Now she was slowly widening the smile, bit by bit. Last night she had even opened up her lips and smiled with her teeth. She had a really beautiful smile.

“So, what should we do now?” Charlie asked. Hannah looked at odds with the question.

“There are a lot of things to do on this ship and yet I can’t make any decisions on what I would like to do first,” Hannah said. She looked frustrated with herself.

“Hey, welcome to humanity. It’s like having 900 channels, Netflix, and Hulu and still saying you have nothing to watch,” Charlie laughed. Hannah looked at her in open confusion and Charlie’s laugh faded off uncomfortably. “I just mean it’s, uh, super human. Too many things to do so you can’t make a choice,” she said. Hannah nodded.

“I see,” she said. “So what do you suggest? How do humans remedy this situation?” Charlie thought for a moment.

“Eeny, meeny, miny, moe,” she finally concluded. Hannah’s eyebrows raised.

“Is that a form of human ritual? Like a chant?” she asked. Charlie leaned forward conspiratorially and Hannah copied her, moving in close so they were speaking directly into each other’s faces.

“It’s absolutely a human chant,” Charlie said. “Very secret. Not many people know about it.” Hannah’s eyes widened a bit as she nodded.

“It is odd that I have never heard of such a ritual,” she said. Charlie shook her head very quickly.

“Humans have had to keep it secret,” she said. “Besides, it is based on choice, which I don’t think the angels have a lot of experience with.” Hannah dipped her head in acceptance of the fact. Charlie looked around until she spotted what she was looking for. “You see that itinerary over there?” She jutted her head towards a small stack of papers that had the ships schedule for the day. Hannah slipped away and returned swiftly, one of the pages in hand.

“Do we need this for the spell?” she asked. Charlie nodded.

“It is essential.”

“Do we need anything else?” Hannah asked.

“We should get somewhere quieter,” she said. Hannah rotated her head around, checking the confines of the room. There were a few stragglers from the cooking demonstration. A married couple who were both sipping something that looked like champagne leaned on each other and laughed. Then there was a group of three friends who looked like they had come to this particular activity more as a dare than anything else. One broke off from the rest and began flirting with the chef. Overall, too many eyes for secretive human chants.

“Maybe to the library,” Hannah said. “I saw it on our way here. It is only down the hall.”

“Perfect,” Charlie said. She grabbed Hannah’s hand and led her out of the room towards the door where she had also spotted the library. Once inside, she pulled Hannah around by the hand so they were standing looking at each other again, still leaned in close.

“Do we need other supplies?” Hannah asked.

"Just us,” Charlie said. She took a breath in an effort to gain a somber expression. She used her hands to place Hannah’s grip on either corner of the top of the itinerary and then used her own hand to hold onto the bottom so the paper floated between them.

“I’m ready,” Hannah said. Charlie used her teeth to hold down a smile that was growing across her checks. She lifted her free hand dramatically and placed it over the paper, and then began to chant in an even tone, moving her fingers across the printed words.

“Eeny, meeny, miny, moe. Catch a tiger by the toe. If he hollers, let him go,” Charlie took a dramatic breath inwards, peeking an eye over to see Hannah’s rapt expression. “Eeny, meeny, miny, moe.” She took a breath and blew over her upraised hand, letting it fall on the appropriate activity title. Charlie and Hannah both leaned in to see where her finger had landed.

“Looks like… onboard mall shopping is what is in store for us,” Charlie said. She smiled privately. Not a bad choice. Hannah looked up from Charlie’s hand, eyes squinting.

“That wasn’t actually a human chant, correct?” she asked. Charlie quirked her mouth bashfully.

“Not exactly,” she sighed. “It’s a thing kids do to make decisions. Sorry, I probably took it too far.” Charlie shuffled uncomfortably, but when she looked up, Hannah was pulling an amused expression.

“You are odd, Charlie,” she said. Charlie tilted her head.

“I have to agree with you there,” she said. Hannah smiled.

“It may not be a chant, but it is a human custom. So I have still experienced something new,” she said. It seemed like she was trying to assure Charlie more than herself. Charlie’s cheeks were hot. “I have also not experienced the mall before. After all, you purchased these clothes for me.” She looked down at her khaki shorts, which hit a couple inches above mid-thigh, and her shirt which was light blue and featured the image of a winged angel, who was wearing flip-flops and a Hawaiian shirt.

“Do you not like them?” Charlie said. Hannah considered the question.

"I like them, but I don’t have much experience,” Hannah said. “These, uh, shorts. They are very soft. As is this shirt, although I don’t understand it.” Charlie laughed.

“Yeah, sorry about that,” she said. “I couldn’t resist.”

“It looks almost like Castiel,” Hannah said, on a hunch. Charlie pointed at her, a grin breaking over her face.

“Right?” she said. “That’s why I couldn’t resist getting it. Did you see Dean do a double take when you walked in earlier?” Hannah smiled softly.

“I like this shirt very much, I think,” she said. “But I would like to look for more things. And perhaps keep an eye out for the vampire we are searching for.” Charlie shook her head as if suddenly remembering their purpose.

“Oh, yeah,” she said. She looked sheepish. “I kinda forgot about that.”

“As did I,” Hannah said. They shared a smile. Charlie folded up the paper schedule and put it in her back pocket and then indicated the door with her hand.

“Shall we?”

 

* * *

 

Raakel wiped down the bar. Nothing else to do, really, at this time of day. Barely afternoon at wasn’t exactly a bar’s busiest time. Especially considering the sheer number on the ship. _The Martini_ was nice, but not exactly a top drinking spot. For the number one shit, people usually went to _The Red Frog_ or _The Havana Bar._ Really, there were only two people in the whole place. One older man, heavy set and white-haired, nursing a beer at the other end of the bar. And then there was the really tall guy with long, brown hair who had obviously visited a few bars already that day.

The tall guy finished off his second drink with a quick glance around the bar and then waved in departure. Raakel gave him a nod back. Probably wasn’t ever going to see this guy again. He stood up, the whole gangly lot of him, and half-walked, half-stumbled towards the door and directly into a woman Raakel hadn’t seen coming.

She was tall and stunning. And seemed to know the guy, at least. So Raakel wasn’t going to have to pull anyone off anyone else. Always a good day when he didn’t have to do that. The woman, who was obviously flirting, pulled up close to the man. She trailed her fingers down his arms and jutted her head out towards the hall in a way that Raakel assumed meant they had other activities planned for the day. He shuffled slightly over behind the bar to get a better spot to listen in.

“I was hoping I would run into you,” the woman said. Her voice was smooth and low. 

“Yeah! I mean, I was also hoping. That I would run into you. Today,” the guy choked out. He sounded slurred and he was leaning forward heavily against the bar’s doorjamb.  The woman just bit her lip and chuckled. Damn cute guys. They got away with murder.

“So, you want to go?” the woman asked. The tall one nodded eagerly and they left. He stumbled a bit more as they made their way out. Raakel rolled his eyes. Cruises, man.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you are all enjoying! Let me know what you think!


	3. Day 2, Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dean and Cas catch some sun and maybe spot their vampire.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is entirely Dean/Cas, but don't worry, plenty of adorable Hannah/Charlie is coming up next time!

Dean couldn’t remember the last time he had lounged on anything – and he thought about it good and hard. There was nothing. He wasn’t even sure if he was lounging correctly. He didn’t have enough practice to prove he was doing anything wrong. And worse, he knew Cas was copying him. So they could both look like total asses, for all he knew. He peeked around the pool at other couples—people. Just people, cruise goers like themselves, who probably had no romantic entanglements. He looked around at them to make sure they hadn’t committed some lounging sin. No one was looking at them oddly so he figured it counted as a pass.

He was really the most nervous about the shorts. He wasn’t a shorts kind of guy, lounging or not. He hadn’t worn shorts in maybe eight years? And yet here he was. And to make it worse, Cas was lying next to him, _also_ in shorts. If Dean in shorts was a rarity, Cas in shorts was like finding life on fucking Jupiter. His legs were more muscular than Dean had imagined them being. Not that he imagined Cas’s legs. Because you don’t just go around picturing what your best friend looks like without pants on. Or do you? There was yet another problem right there. Dean didn’t have a ton of experience with best friends.

Like, for example, he wasn’t sure if you were supposed to imagine their legs or if that was weird. Of if being around your best friend was supposed to make your stomach boil warmly with contentment? That was another big question he had. And there was the big one. If you were supposed to feel like you were kinda sorta head-over-heels in love with your best friend? But that was just a closeness thing, probably. Yeah, normalcy central over with Dean Winchester and his angelic best friend with the nicely muscled legs.

And Cas didn’t have a gauge for these things either. That was probably why he stood so close to Dean all the time or made really dramatic speeches about how much he cared about him. Angels didn’t have the concept of best friends, so how would Cas know how to act around one? Cas _really_ didn’t get the kind of things you do and don’t say to your friends. But he was too far gone for Dean to try to teach him now. Best to just let their relationship lie. Their friendship relationship. That.

“Do you see anyone who might be a vampire?” Cas asked, drawing Dean out of his thoughts sharply. Dean startled up and looked around probably more quickly than was strictly necessary. Cas furrowed his brows. “Dean, are you alright?”

“Oh, I’m peachy,” Dean said. He shifted around on his chair. “I’m wearing shorts, sunbathing, while I look for a vampire.” Cas pursed his lips.

“You are the one who demanded we make this a vacation, Dean,” he said tersely.

“I know,” Dean muttered, shortly followed by, “sorry.” Cas inclined his head in acceptance. “I just don’t really know how to do the vacation thing, you know?”

“Nor do I,” Cas said. Dean huffed a small laugh.

“Touché,” he said. He looked around the deck more calmly, searching the crowd. He kept a special eye on the areas underneath awnings, like the bar and near the DJ station. “I don’t really see anyone who could be our guy. I mean, it could be any of them, but I don’t have any idea who.”

"Yes, no one is standing out to me either,” Cas said. They both scanned the crowd in silence for a while longer.

“Should we move somewhere else?” Dean asked, looking at Cas out of the corner of his eye. The angel mulled over the suggestion, then looked at Dean for a while without answering.

“If we could, I wouldn’t mind lying out here for a while longer,” he said. “You know, just in case the vampire arrives. We wouldn’t want to miss him accidentally.” Dean nodded his head. Yeah, very good point. Stay here. Cas reached down and unbuttoned two of the buttons on his shirt, pulling on the fabric a couple of times like he was getting hot. Dean swallowed thickly, unable to pull his eyes away from the sight of Cas’s chest immediately.

“Yeah, we should stick around. This is actually a stake out, if you think about it. Just a different venue than we normally hang around,” Dean said. He leaned back in his chair slowly, trying to swallow again around the lump that had formed in his throat. He totally understood Cas loosening a couple buttons because he also felt suddenly very hot.

“We should also speak,” Cas said. Dean looked at him oddly.

“What?”

"Other couples on the deck are speaking to each other. We should follow suit, to fit in,” he said. Dean caught that he also had made the slip up of referring to sunbathers as ‘other couples’ but elected to ignore it. His brain was a little foggy for reasons he couldn’t expound on fully.

“Good call,” he said, clearing his throat. “Do you have any enthralling stories to share?” he asked with a grin.

“I don’t know that I am very good at telling stories,” Cas said, pinching his eyebrows thoughtfully.

“Come on, don’t sell yourself short!” Dean said. He reached over and smacked Cas’s shoulder in a way that was supposed to convey good-natured friendship, but he left his hand sitting for far too long, finger tips touching Cas’s hot skin where his shirt was pulled back. They both stared at his hand until he removed it, retracting quickly, as though he had been burnt. Cas tilted his head slightly.

“What story shall I tell?” Cas said. “For most of my existence I was a soldier, so most of my memories are of wars and battles.” Well, he had Dean there.

“Let’s not talk about angelic wars loudly on a cruise ship surrounded by happy families,” Dean muttered. Cas raised an eyebrow.

“I told you I shouldn’t be the one to share a story,” he said. Dean almost smacked him again but reigned it in at the last moment.

“I, uh, I have a question,” he said. He shifted uncomfortably in his chair. Cas looked at him curiously.

“What is it?”

“Well, uh, this is going to sound really out of nowhere but it has been driving me nuts,” Dean said. He leaned in towards Cas. “How in the hell did you get that job at the Gas-N-Sip?” Cas looked at him like he was worried Dean had gone crazy.

"You wanted to ask how I got a job at the gas station?” he clarified like he must be missing something. Dean coughed and shifted.

“I don’t know, I just wondered,” he said. “It’s not like you have references.” Cas shook his head fondly and sat up from his chair as he spoke.

“Well, I saw a sign up in the window that said ‘help wanted’,” he began. “So I went inside and told Nora that I was there to help.” He looked expectantly at Dean. There was a pause.

“That’s it?” he asked.

“Yes, that’s it,” Cas said. Dean’s laugh was breathy with disbelief.

“You went in, told that woman you were ‘there to help’ and she just offered you the job?” he asked. Cas squinted.

“Yes, that is what happened,” he said. “Have I not made it clear?” Dean collapsed onto his chair in laughter. His hand was on his chest as he laughed from the stomach. Cas had a soft smile on his face, although he wasn’t sure what he had said to warrant this level of amusement.

“I’m sorry, it’s just,” Dean took a breath to steady himself, “I couldn’t have made that up if I tried.” Dean said.

"Now it is your turn to tell a story, I think,” Cas said. Dean thought for a while and then came up with exactly the one he wanted to share.

“So, Sam was about nine, and we were staying at this shitty motel up in Maine,” he started in. Cas leaned forward as Dean expounded largely with his hands. They swapped stories back and forth for a good couple of hours, Dean rooting his in his childhood or on long hunts that Cas hadn’t heard about. Cas had a few from his time with Hannah which Dean got a kick out of. Plus he hadn’t exactly gone through millennia without meeting some really interesting people. And, as it turned out, Cas was actually pretty good at telling stories. Dean blamed him entirely for making them forget to keep any kind of lookout for the rest of the afternoon.

They didn’t move from their seats until much later in the day when Dean announced, without warning, how incredibly hungry he was. And what was the point of a cruise ship if not to eat far more than you normally would at any given hour of the day? So they set out together, winding around hallways towards the buffet until Dean stopped short and did a double take through a window that led into a bar.

“What is it, Dean?” Cas asked. Dean leaned into the window and raised his hand over his eyes to see more clearly. He laughed softly.

“It’s Sam,” he said. “And it looks like he’s with that chick from yesterday.” Cas cocked his head and squinted to see into the bar. It was true. There was Sam, sitting at the bar with the woman he had been dancing with the night before. He was leaned towards her, the two of them touching knees as they drank. Sam was gesturing more dramatically, the way he tended to do after a few drinks. Cas huffed fondly. Then woman seemed to notice their presence as she glanced up and began to stare at them quizzically. She tapped Sam’s shoulder and he turned to squint in their direction as well. Dean reached up with one hand and started knocking on the glass before Cas could stop him.

“Sam! Hey, Sammy!” he called through the window. Sam’s face scrunched into an annoyed expression.

“Dean, perhaps we should leave him alone,” Cas said, though he couldn’t keep the amusement from his voice.

“Please, what are big brothers for but to pick on their dick little brothers?” Dean asked. Inside, Sam used the hand not holding his drink to flip Dean off. Dean grinned. “Love you too!” he called. Cas grabbed his arm and began to pull him away.

“Come on,” he said. “That’s plenty of teasing Sam for the day.”

“Never enough teasing Sam,” Dean mumbled, but he followed willingly, glancing back only in time to see Sam turn back around in his chair, nearly falling off as he did it. Dean snickered. “I told you it was him with that chick from last night,” he said.

“Yes, Dean, I never gave you any indication that I doubted you,” Cas said. They walked side by side down the hallway.

“Still,” Dean said. “Go Sammy.”

“Is that something that usually happens on cruise ships?” Cas asked. Dean looked at him oddly.

“What, hook-ups?” he asked.

"If you think that is the right term for them, yes,” Cas said.

“Well, yeah,” Dean said with a shoulder shrug. “Cruises are notorious for the week-long fling. You’re trapped in one place for seven days with nothing to do but drink. How could it not happen?” Cas inclined his head.

“True,” he said. “I hadn’t really thought of it before.” They both queued up at the buffet line and began putting bits and pieces of food on their plates. As soon as Dean deemed their plates full enough, they went to a table by a window to sit.

“So, what,” Dean said, “you considering your options for this week now?” He avoided Cas’s eyes as he asked the question.

“No, I think I enjoy my company enough at the moment,” Cas said. When Dean looked up, the angel was smiling.

“At the moment, huh?” Dean said. Cas just kept smiling. Dean chuckled. “I have been such a bad influence on you.”

“Perhaps,” Cas replied simply. His eyes moved to behind Dean and then he squinted. Dean quirked his head.

“What? Is someone behind me pulling dumb faces?” he asked. Cas shook his head but kept staring, his eyes eventually narrowing further. “Cas, what the fuck?” The angel leaned in so he could speak more softly.

“There is a couple behind you,” he said. “They look suspicious.” Dean perked up immediately, straightening in his chair without turning around.

“What is it?” he said. This was something he actually had experience with.  

“The man is oddly more covered, like we suspected he might be,” Cas said. He quickly looked down. “They are moving towards us.” Dean busied himself with looking occupied in his food. He began to hear the couple as they moved closer to the table. The woman had an indistinct voice, nothing Dean would remember if he heard it again. The man’s voice was deep, somber, and all-over sexy.

“Come on, Angela,” The man’s voice said. Dean looked around quickly behind him, making it look like he was searching the buffet area for someone else, then turned back to the table. The woman, like her voice, was fairly unnoticeable. She had dull, blonde hair and a rounded face with a splattering of freckles around her nose. The man was tall, with dark hair that was styled carefully back. He had a hint of stubble and a jaw line to rival Steve Rogers’, if that was even fucking possible. The kind of guy Dean wouldn’t kick out of bed, honestly. But that was sort of beyond the point.

“Yeah, ok,” the girl, Angela said.

“I feel like I’ve been waiting a very long time for you,” the man said. Dean still hadn’t caught a name. Angela laughed.

“Oh, come on, Holt, we’ve only known each other for a day,” she said. Ah, Holt. Sounded pretentious enough for a vamp name. Dean looked up at Cas and raised an eyebrow to ask _is this our guy?_

“It feels like longer. Much, much longer,” Holt said, silky smooth. The guy was like walking velvet as far as Dean could tell. This had to be their guy.

“Let’s go,” Angela said, sounding suddenly breathless. Dean could almost feel the predator smile winding its way across the douchebag’s face. _The douchebag you said you wouldn’t kick out of bed,_ Dean reminded himself. Which, yeah, fair point.

“This way,” Holt said. Dean turned slightly in his seat so he could see Holt grabbing Angela around the waist and leading her from the buffet. He looked and nodded at Cas and they both stood, immediately at the ready. They followed as closely behind as they could, keeping an eye on the couple in front of them. Holt, it seemed to them, avoided routes that would lead them through the sun, and instead wound their way around rooms and hallways until he arrived at the elevators. Dean motioned Cas to stick around.

“See what floor they stop at,” Dean muttered. Cas nodded and Dean moved towards the stairs, beginning to make his way downwards. After a few seconds his phone buzzed. A text from Cas that read ‘eight’. Dean responded ‘meet me’ and then locked his phone and stuck it in his pocket.

He arrived at the eighth floor just in time to see the couple emerge from the elevators, plainly all over each other. Holt was leading Angela forcefully now as he pressed kisses against her lips and then down her neck. Damn. They were going for it. Dean stayed near the stairs, watching the two move down the hallway to the point where they wouldn’t notice him following them. He heard feet lightly clapping behind him and turned to see Cas reach the bottom of the stairs.

“Are they there?” he asked.

“Yeah,” Dean said. “Uh, I don’t exactly have my machete with me, so…”

“Yes, I will have to smite him,” Cas said. “I also realized I will have to break our vacation rules.” He looked at Dean and honest-to-God smirked. Dean swallowed thickly.

"Fair enough,” he said. The couple had made their way farther down the hall and Holt reached into his back pocket for his room key. With impressive fluidity, and never stopping his open mouthed kisses on Angela’s neck, he opened the door and pushed it the rest of the way open. Dean motioned Cas forward with a hand and they both began to sneak their way forward, sticking close to the wall. There was no one around, luckily, to notice how strange they looked.

“Oh, Holt, yes,” they heard Angela begin to say breathlessly from the doorway. While still in the doorway, Holt picked Angela up by her legs and wound them around his frame before backing the rest of the way into the room and closing the door after them with a loud slam. Dean and Cas leapt forward, moving to the door quickly. Cas pressed an ear to the door, holding up a finger. Dean didn’t really see the point beyond looks, since they could both clearly hear the moaning from inside the room without even standing near the door, but he didn’t say anything. They waited for a few moments until they heard Angela cry out loudly.

“Holt!” Dean gave a firm nod to Cas and then steeled himself up and rammed against the door. It crumpled almost too easily and he stumbled into the room more abruptly than he had planned on.

“Hey, asshole!” he shouted, getting his footing back. He stood up to smirk at the vampire so he could fully gloat but the expression was swallowed almost immediately. Angela was laid out beneath Holt, both of them obviously in the middle of something much different than blood sucking. Angela’s dress was hiked up around her middle and Holt’s pants were around his ankles and he was looking at Dean like he was going to kill him. Which was probably fair. Cas burst in behind him, eyes set forward like he was feeling especially wrathful. He also paused on the scene.

“Um,” he said. _Couldn’t have phrased it better myself,_ Dean thought.

“What the fuck?” Holt finally had the presence of mind to ask.

“Uh, hey,” Dean smiled. He needed Sammy here. That kid could smile his way out of anything. “Sorry to interrupt. We, uh, are here from the ship activities board?” Cas turned to look at him like he was insane, and Angela and Holt both wore similar expressions.

“Get the fuck out of my room!” Holt yelled. Dean held up hands.

“Of course, we’re just gonna,” he backed away and stumbled over the bits of wood from the door that were on the floor. “We’re gonna go. Now.” He grabbed Cas’s arm and pulled him back. The both fell out the door and tripped, Dean falling on his ass with Cas landing painfully on his lap. Holt marched up to the wreckage of the door, fury building on his face.

“What the hell did you think you were doing?” Holt exclaimed, throwing his hands in the air. He moved towards Dean again. Dean shoved Cas up off his lap and stood up quickly.

“So sorry again,” he said. He reached around behind him and blindly grabbed for Cas’s arm, finally succeeding in yanking him up to a standing position as well. “The whole cruise staff apologizes for the entry. We, uh, received information that there was a gas leak? In your room? Yeah, but it seems like it was ok in there. Don’t you agree, uh, Dave?” he turned to Cas, who was still looking at him like he was a lunatic. The angel turned to look at Holt.

“You aren’t a vampire by any chance, are you?” Dean looked up at the ceiling and slowly closed his eyes, silently asking what he had done to deserve this.

“I’m gonna beat the fuck out of you two,” Holt said, voice sounding low in his chest. Dean’s eyes widened and he reached for Cas again, grabbing onto his hand and yanking him into a run. He thought Holt might follow them, but he just stood in the hallway glowering at them with his pants around his ankles.

“Enjoy the rest of your cruise!” Dean called out behind them as he ran. He reached the stairwell and through open the door, dragging Cas through it roughly. He continued to pull him until they were a full four floors away and then finally stumbled to a stop and fell against a wall heavily, trying to catch his breath.

“That didn’t go well,” Cas said. Dean panted out a laugh.

“You think?” he tried to say. “Oh, God, that was not good at all.” He tried to care more than he did currently, but he just couldn’t help but find the situation unbearably funny. “I can’t believe you still asked if he was a vampire,” Dean said, still with a chuckle on his breath.

“I felt like we should be sure before we ran away,” Cas said, shooting Dean an annoyed look. It was at that point Dean realized they were still holding hands. Dean looked down slowly towards their clasped hands. He pulled away abruptly.

“Oh, sorry,” he muttered. He rubbed his hand, which was damp with sweat, across his shorts.

“I don’t mind,” Cas muttered back. Dean looked at him carefully.

“What the hell does that mean?” he said. Cas winced and looked down.

“Nothing,” he said. “It means nothing.”

“No, you obviously meant something,” Dean said. He didn’t know why this was all coming out so angry, but he couldn’t help the building inside him. His heart was still beating too quickly, blood pumping hard through veins in his head. He stretched his fingers, trying to calm his body. “What do you mean you don’t mind?” Cas looked up at him, pulling an expression like a lost puppy.

“I don’t mind,” he said, softly. Some of the heavy emotion drained from Dean and his shoulders dropped.

“You don’t?” he asked, carefully.

“No,” Cas said. They were both almost speaking in whispers.

“Oh,” Dean said. They stood in silence, leaning against the wall for a little over a minute. Cas took a sharp breath inwards and Dean looked at him. The angel moved a half step closer to Dean and held out his arm, reaching out to entangle his hand in Dean’s own. Silence again. Dean stared down at the hands, and then up at Cas, who was looking up at him with wide eyes. Dean moved another half step. He was standing in Cas’s space, a space that had always sort of included him, in a way. Dean leaned forward another inch and pressed his lips against Cas’s softly, like a whisper. He pulled away a millimeter.

“Do you mind that?” he asked. Cas looked up at him, eyes even wider. With is free hand he reached up and put a hand to his lips. With sudden rapid movements he released his grip on Dean’s hand and used both to grab onto Dean’s shirt and pull him forward, pressing their lips together with much more force. Dean wound his arms around Cas’s back and moved his hands up the angel’s back, breathing unsteadily as Cas kissed him more firmly. Cas pushed his tongue into Dean’s mouth and he was lost. And then Cas was gone, still standing in the same space but putting a couple of inches between their faces.

“No, I don’t mind,” he said. He smirked and his lips were red and still wet and Dean’s knees felt weak.

“Well, shit,” Dean said, his voice cracking slightly. He couldn’t resist leaning forward again to press the words against Cas’s skin, but a voice sounded out from bellow them.

“Yeah, they went up that way,” Holt’s voice echoed through the stairwell. The sound of a pair of feet smacking up the stairs followed shortly. Dean stopped a hair’s breadth from Cas’s face and looked down, his stomach dropping out.

“Oh,” he said. Cas smiled and grabbed Dean’s hand. He pulled Dean forward, kissed him quickly, and then dragged him towards the exit of the stairwell. The door flung open and they stumbled out, hands intertwined. They didn’t stop running until they made their way across the whole deck and then back down into the rooms, specifically Cas’s.

Cas fumbled with the key, not having quite the smooth handle on it that Holt did. Besides the fact that it was much more difficult to focus on opening the door with Dean kissing the back of his neck. He was finally able to push the door open and move them both inside. He flicked on the light and then grabbed onto Dean more firmly, flipping their positions and pushing Dean down onto the bed nearest them. Dean grunted at the change, but didn’t bother stopping.

He pulled Cas down on top of him and moved his hands across his arms and chest, winding one up to grab onto Cas’s hair. He moaned softly as Cas moved his lips down his neck and across his collarbone.

“Cas,” he said, “you sure you’re ok with this?” Cas halted his movements for long enough to shoot Dean a look that said _are you actually a dumbass?_ He followed this expression with an open mouthed kiss on the hollow of Dean’s neck and then a sharp bite on the clavicle. Dean hissed in a breath. He couldn’t believe it. Cas was actually here, doing sinful things with his mouth to Dean. He couldn’t even form coherent thoughts about it, especially once Cas grinded slowly upwards against Dean and the world stopped for a few seconds.

“I can’t believe we waited this fucking long,” Dean panted. “I mean, how many years?” Cas grunted something that sounded like an agreement into his hot skin.

And then the door shook.

Cas’s head shot upwards and he looked at Dean with wide eyes. They both looked to the door and then back at each other, struggling to get to a standing position. Something even more difficult, considering the fucking ridiculous boner Dean was sporting. He glanced over at Cas and saw he was in a similar position. They managed to get apart and sitting next to each other in time for the door to open and Hannah and Charlie to enter. The girls were both laughing and came up short when they saw Dean and Cas, sitting on the bed, staring at them.

“Uh,” Charlie said. She had shopping bags over her arm, plus she was wearing large sunglasses and a wide-brim hat. Hannah was wearing an identical match to both. “You boys look like you’re about ready to hear a sermon,” she finished. Dean looked at Cas, who was sitting with his hands in his lap, a few scant inches between them.

“You went shopping,” Cas said. He seemed to be adamantly refusing to look Dean’s way or acknowledge that anything strange was going on. Charlie removed her sunglasses to she could properly look at them with scrunched up eyebrows.

“You both look more emotionally constipated than usual,” she said. Hannah walked over to the other bed and put her shopping bags down on it before removing her sunglasses. She looked between them and her eyes widened. She opened her mouth but Cas silenced her with an almost invisible head shake. Her teeth actually made a noise as she clacked them together.

“Me and Charlie went shopping,” she said.

“Oh yeah?” Dean tried to keep his voice steady. He thought it was fairly convincing.

“Yeah…” Charlie said. She glanced between them a couple more times suspiciously, then shook her head and rolled her eyes. “Yeah, lots of shopping done. You want to see what we got?” Dean thought about declining but he didn’t think he was quite ready to stand and flee yet.

“Oh, absolutely,” he said, trying to smile convincingly. He could feel the glare that Cas was sending his way and he struggle to ignore it.

“Oh, good,” Hannah said. “We purchased a few things that I really think I like.” Dean nodded and continued trying to smile. He finally looked over at Cas to send him an apologetic smile but was stopped short. Cas’s hair was even more crazed than usual from Dean holding onto it and his lips were red and puffy. Everything about him was askew and his pupils were even blown fairly wide. Dean swallowed. They were so fucked.  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Reviews would be lovely! I want to know if people are liking it so far!


	4. Day 2, Part 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Of shopping excursions and drunken Winchesters

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry posting has been somewhat irregular. My plan was two chapters a week and I would like to keep that up. And don't worry, this is the last of day 2. And the other days of the cruise will be much shorter. I just let this one get away with me. Enjoy!

Turns out, shopping with Hannah was even more fun than anticipated. Maybe just because Hannah didn’t have much of a frame of reference, but her face when she had first turned the corner and seen the mall… well, it was priceless. Her eyes widened comically and she turned to Charlie excitedly.

“There is so much on this ship!” she said. A smile tickled the corners of her lips.

“Yeah, they pack all they can on these things,” Charlie said. “Actually, I can’t believe this is the first we’ve heard of a vampire staking out a place like this. I mean, rotating food supply, plus anything else they could ever want. Seems like a good set up. Especially if you aren’t down with the whole nest life thing.” She looked to Hannah for a sign of agreement but the angel didn’t even seem to be listening. She just looked from store to store rapidly. Charlie could practically see the gears in her mind turning.

“Which do we go to first?” Hannah asked. She leaned forward to get a better look at a shop down the hall. Charlie smiled at her widely.

“That is up to you, Miss Free Will,” Charlie said. Hannah came back to herself enough to look slightly down at Charlie. Her eyebrows were drawn together.

“I really am beginning to understand why my father didn’t offer us free will,” Hannah said. “It is incredibly difficult.” Charlie snorted.

“And this is just the shopping decisions,” she said. Hannah’s eyes grew more concerned and Charlie jumped back on the supportive train. “Oh, this is nothing!” she said, grabbing onto Hannah’s arms. “This is the best kind of decision because you can’t choose wrong! See, even if we go into one and you don’t like it, we can go to a different one. That simple.” Hannah lost some of her worry, but she still looked uncertain.

“True,” she said. She observed all of the stores again. “Perhaps clothing? As I have never chosen my own clothing before?” Charlie clapped once, which seemed like a good decision at the time but she instantly regretted it. It made her feel less like a supportive friend-type-individual and more like an encouraging kindergarten teacher. Definitely not the message she was going for.

“Uh, great choice!” she said. “Let’s go into this one.” She led Hannah towards the store front. When she really considered it, this was probably the only store on the ship that sold actual clothing so that made things slightly easier for Hannah. She walked towards a rack, lingering near it with an unsure stature. Charlie marched forward and began grabbing shirts and pants off of racks that were Hannah’s size. The angel looked at her wildly when Charlie dumped the mass of clothes on her arms.

“What are you doing?” she said. Charlie flashed a dazzling smile.

"Montage!” Charlie gave Hannah a shove when they got to the fitting room and she stumbled forward, weighed down by all of the clothing. Her eyes were back to that comically wide shape and Charlie laughed. “Just. Try something on. Then come out and show me. Yeah?” Without waiting for an answer, Charlie yanked the door shut and found herself a seat on the couch. This store was nice as hell. Charlie’s favorite way to spend someone else’s money was when it was on stuff that was _far, far_ too expensive. The couch felt like it was covered in silk. Fuck, it might have been. She ran her fingers over it appraisingly. Yes, this was the perfect place to blow someone else’s money.

“How’s it coming in there?” she called. In answer the door carefully pulled open and Hannah emerged in a hideous pair of khaki pants and a polo shirt. She walked out uncertainly and stood in front of Charlie, shoulders bent forward.

“How are these?” she asked. Charlie shook her head.

“No, no, no,” she said. “Not montage-y enough. First, show that hideous thing off with some flair. Stand up straight, turn around slowly. Yeah, that’s it. Much better.” Charlie smiled as Hannah finished spinning. The angel was smiling back at her softly, and her shoulders were held up higher. “Now, every time you come out: strike a pose. Can you do that?”

“I can try,” Hannah said.

“Good,” Charlie said. “One last thing.” She pulled out her phone and laid it next to her on the couch. She selected a song and pushed play, turning up the volume slightly. They were alone in the back of the store and Charlie figured hell, they were paying enough for this damn cruise as it was, might as well play some decent music. “Now show me some more fabulous looks.” She grinned and Hannah returned to the room. The next look was better, a blue sundress with lighter blue flowers on it. Hannah walked out with a bit more confidence and spun around without much rhythm. Charlie stood up quickly.

“Let me help,” she said. “Sit there,” she indicated the couch and Hannah plopped herself down. “Now watch and learn.” Charlie walked into the fitting room, closed the door, and then emerged quickly with a wide swing of arms. She spun around in a circle, swinging her hips to the music. She finished it with a pose, putting her hands smartly on her hips and lifting her head high. She looked down to find Hannah grinning at her.

“I understand now, I think,” Hannah said.

"Good,” Charlie said. She put her hands out and Hannah grabbed them, allowing Charlie to pull her sharply to a standing position. They ended up standing close, Hannah stumbling forward against Charlie. They both smiled. Hannah spun them both around and deposited Charlie on the couch. Charlie started at the sudden shift. Hannah held a hand up and walked to the fitting room.

She emerged in a flowy green skirt and a yellow tank top. She threw open the door and tossed her head back, her chin tilted sharply upwards, and cocked her hip. Then she marched forward and spun around quickly three times, the skirt flapping up around her.

“Oh,” she said. “I like the way this skirt moves.” She laughed as she came to a stop. She looked to Charlie with an unsure smile. “How was that?” Charlie gulped hard.

“That was, uh. That was perfect,” she said. The song changed to another upbeat number and they both just sat there staring at each other. Hannah carefully fingered her skirt, not taking her eyes of Charlie’s face.

“Shall I continue?” she asked. She had a different tone to her voice now that, had Charlie not known her, would almost have been called _flirtatious._ But this was Hannah. Honestly, the angel was fresh off the farm. No way was she picking up _flirtatious_ yet. Hell, look at Dean and Cas. They had been dancing around it for seven years now. But here Hannah was… nah. No way.

“Oh, please do,” Charlie said. Hannah smiled and returned to the fitting room. “You’re already really good at this montage thing.” They danced their way through a few more terrible outfits, plus a couple of good ones. Hannah flung the chosen few over her arms and walked up to the counter. The man at the front rung up the clothes and announced a total that was far above the worth of the number of items Hannah had chosen. Charlie whipped out her fresh new credit card with a grin.

“It’s all on me,” she said. She threw a wink towards Hannah for good measure, and the angel honest-to-god _blushed_. Charlie’s heart jumped up to her throat. She was enjoying this far, far too much. And this was only their first store. Just wait until they got to the jewelry store. Jesus, at this rate Charlie was going to be buying her a damn diamond necklace. _Hmmm, would she like a diamond necklace?_ Charlie thought. The man at the counter handed her the credit card back and she shook herself from her thoughts.

Hannah took the bags containing her new clothes from the man and held a couple in each hand. She weighed them, shifting them up and down a few times and smiling. They walked out of the store, Hannah still staring down at her bags. Charlie shot her a confused smile.

“What are you doing?” she asked. They walked across the way and towards a store that sold perfume.

“Sorry,” Hannah said. “I was appreciating these items. They are the first things I have picked out myself and now own. They are my first real possessions. I didn’t think of it until the man handed me the bags.” She looked up to smile at Charlie. “Are we going in to this store now?” She marched forward, leaving her friend a few steps behind. Charlie gulped as Hannah made her way into the perfume shop, then followed her. She had just come to the very sharp realization that she would buy Hannah quite literally anything on this damn boat if she so much as asked.  

 

* * *

 

           

“Well, everything looks great girls,” Dean said. He awkwardly stood up and gave a shaky smile. “I think we’d better go back out and man our posts. Cas?” Everything was coming out weaker than he intended and he said Cas’s name in an uncomfortable almost-whisper. Cas stood up behind him more abruptly than he was expecting and Dean took a big jump forward, then tried to make it look less weird than it had. He mostly failed. Hannah and Charlie both looked at him like he was out of his damn mind. Which, hey, probably fair.

“Riiiight,” Charlie said, drawing out the word carefully. “Well, I’ll come with you. I have to put my stuff in my room anyway. I’ll be back in ten, Hannah!” They all walked together out the door, Dean and Cas keeping a stiff couple of inches between them. They were so focused on keeping a specific amount of space between them they practically could have been walking down the hallway with a ruler between them.

“So,” Charlie said. They both looked at her abruptly. “What have you two been up to today?” They turned the corner towards Charlie’s room.

“Who says we’ve been up to anything?” Dean demanded. Cas glared at him from behind Charlie’s head.

“I just meant what have you guys been doing all day?” Charlie said. She squinted at him. “You’re being weirder than usual, Winchester. Ah, here I am.” She pulled out her key and stuck it in the door. She pushed it open and stopped just short of entering. She looked between the two of them again and shook her head. “Keep being weird, I guess. See you at dinner.” She shut the door and Dean and Cas were left alone in the hallway. For a minute they just stared at her door in silence. Then Dean cleared his throat.

“You want a drink?”

“Oh god, yes,” Cas said emphatically. Dean looked up at him suddenly and chuckled.

“Wow, blaspheming,” he said. “Now I know things are serious.” Cas gave him an uncomfortable smile. They made their way up the stairs and back to the deck in relative silence. Dean ordered a couple of drinks and they both sat down at the bar. Dean looked over to see Cas empty his in one gulp and then throw up a finger towards the bartender asking for another. He was actually impressed. Cas had done it with such surety and confidence. It was kinda hot and—and that was exactly why they were sitting at this fucking bar.

“So,” Dean said, clearing his throat. Cas held up a hand to stop Dean and took a new glass from the bartender and swallowed it in another single gulp. He seemed to think for a minute, then he set it down on the bar. He put his hand down.

“Dean, I love you,” he said. Dean’s prepared response shuttered to a stop. The world slowed down a little bit and the sounds of playing children back by the pool became muted to his ears. Cas just looked at him evenly, if a little uncertain.

"Oh,” Dean choked out.

“I have loved you for a very long time,” Cas continued, never breaking eye contact with Dean. “I have loved you longer than I knew how to identify it was love I was feeling. My heart burns for you, which is a human expression I never understood until I met you. I just thought you should know that before you say what it was you want to say.” He nodded to show he was finished speaking and then folded his hands in his lap, still staring at Dean.

Dean had forgotten the English language. He knew there were words that existed in the world, but he couldn’t seem to remember any of them. The blood in his head pumped more loudly than he remembered it had before. His fingers tingled a bit and his face felt very, very hot. He worked on remembering words first.

“I, uh,” he tried, “huh.” He finished off with a really fairly high pitched exhale. Cas just kept looking at him. Dean looked at the drink in front of him and quickly swallowed it, downing the full contents. He chuckled. “Ah, I see why you did that now,” he said. Cas smiled gently and finally looked down and away from Dean. It was a small gesture but it wrapped Dean’s heart and squeezed sharply. For a moment he couldn’t breathe.

“Oh, get over here,” he finally grunted. He leaned forward so far on his stool that he fell forward and out of it, crashing against Cas with slightly more gusto than he had intended. They collided, lips first, and Dean wrapped his arms around Cas, pulling him close as they kissed. They separated sharply when someone grunted. The pulled apart with an audible noise and looked up to see the bartender looking at them with a raised eyebrow.

“I know you have a room somewhere on this boat,” she said. “Maybe use it.” Dean flushed and took a step back.

“Sorry,” he grumbled. He sat back on his chair and sent a bashful grin towards Cas.

“I don’t mind,” Cas muttered with the tiniest of smirks. Dean’s heart did that thing again where it squeezed. He opened his mouth to say something but then stopped when he looked behind Cas’s head. His expression crumpled first into confusion and then utter joy.

“Oh my god, look,” he said. Cas turned in his seat sharply to see what was behind him. At first all he noticed was an ice sculpture of an eagle in the making, but then he looked slightly to the left. Where Sam stood. Well, was the wrong word. The youngest Winchester sat on the floor, leaned against the legs of the woman they had seen with him earlier, and had tilted forward eagerly as the ice sculpture was shaved and chiseled. Cas let out a burst of laughter that surprised him then quickly clamped his hand down on his mouth as Sam looked around. Luckily, he didn’t notice them as he looked back on the demonstration with childlike glee.

“He’s heavily intoxicated,” Cas whispered from the corner of his mouth.

"He’s fucking wasted is what he is,” Dean laughed, also struggling to keep his voice down. He reached into his pocket slowly and pulled out a phone, raising it high enough that he could start recording. The man sculpting ice made a sharp movement and a slab fell off and to the deck, revealing what looked like the second wing. Sam’s eyes bugged. He reached behind him wildly until he found the woman’s legs and then tapped them, using his other hand to point.

“Didja see what he did?” Sam slurred. Dean finally looked up to the woman, who was the same as the night before, and who was also looking pretty fucking wasted. She swayed a bit under the weight of Sam leaned up against her.

“Wow!” she said, but it was more of a shout. The sculptor removed a few smaller pieces to define the second eagle wing and then stood back to appraise his work. Sam quickly attempted to shuffle to his feet, although he fell on his ass a couple of times in the endeavor. The woman tried to help, but Sam obviously weighed too much for her to do much good. She fell down on her ass just as Sam got up and then both fell into hysterical laughter. Sam pulled her up to her feet.

"I can’t believe this,” Dean whispered. He sounded absolutely giddy. Cas glanced over at him and saw Dean’s grin was wide enough to spread across his whole face. He struggled hard not to laugh so his camera wouldn’t shake, but his face turned bright red in the effort. The sight of Dean so absolutely full of joy, laughing while they sat together on a boat in the middle of nowhere spurred Cas to lean forward and plant a small kiss on Dean’s cheek. The hunter blushed but turned a smile Cas’s way.

“Charlie is going to be sad she missed this,” Cas said. Dean’s eyes widened.

“Oh, shit, you have to call Charlie,” he said. “Tell her it’s an emergency.” Cas obediently pulled out his phone and made the call, urging that they hurry, then hung up with a large smile at Dean.

“They’re on their way,” he muttered. He looked back over at Sam, who was leaning on his new girlfriend heavily, so that they stumbled together. They both moved towards the sculpture.

“I can’t believe you got a bird out of that thing!” Sam said, speaking at an almost shout that left the sculptor wincing. “Like, you are so talented! So fucking talented, man.” He put one of his huge hands up to pat the sculptor on the back, making the poor guy stumble a couple of feet. Dean kept his eyes roving the deck until he saw Charlie and Hannah burst through a door, looking battle prepped. He shoved at Cas and then waved his hands frantically until Charlie noticed him.

“Look!” he mouthed towards her, pointing at Sam. Both of their heads slowly turned and Dean got a special amount of pleasure in watching them drop their battle stances in favor of disbelief and finally full-bellied laughter. He waved them over and they quickly snuck around behind Sam so he wouldn’t notice them.

“Oh my god, you were right,” Charlie said. “This was absolutely an emergency.” They watched in pure bliss as Sam gestured towards the sculpture again.

“It’s just so beautiful!” he said. The woman nodded. Sam looked at her. “Don’t you think it’s beautiful? I think you’re beautiful!” The woman smiled. They leaned together and began to make out vigorously right there on the deck. The sculptor rolled his eyes and waved at the rest of the spectators to indicate he was all finished before grabbing his cart of tools and rolling away. After a few more long seconds, Sam and the woman pulled themselves apart.

“You’re beautiful too!” the woman shouted. Sam grinned one of his huge, puppy dog grins.

“I am?”

“Oh, yeah!” they were both still talking far too loudly. The crowd that had been building around them slowly dispersed, people leaving with a few rolled eyes but mostly good natured smiles. It seemed like they were wrapping up the real show so he clicked the button on his phone and stopped recording.

“I’m so glad I was here for that,” he said solemnly.

“Me too,” Charlie said, also solemn.

“The highlight of my trip so far,” Cas said. Dean gave him a raised eyebrow and Cas clumsily swallowed a smile. “Well, maybe not my highlight.”

“Is he alright?” Hannah asked. Sam was stumbling heavily now, and Dean knew if he landed on that woman she was going to end up crushed to death.

“Oh, maybe not,” he said. He leapt forward, crossing the deck quickly and catching Sam. “Hey, Sammy. Had some drinks, did you?” he asked. Sam gave him a gummy smile.

“Hey, Dean!” he said. Dean winced and leaned away from his shouts. Sam gestured at the woman in front of him. “This is Eva!”

“Eva, pleased to meet you,” Dean said. He reached out and shook her hand. “Well, I hate to do this but I think I need to put my little brother to bed.” Eva pouted her lips.

“But we were having fun,” she said. She hiccupped and stumbled. Cas came up behind her quickly and caught her arm before she fell.

“And I think it might be time for you to sleep as well, Eva,” Cas said. Eva nodded drowsily.

"Yeah, prob’ly,” she said. She turned and leaned against Cas, practically nuzzling him. Dean raised a teasing eyebrow and Cas glared at him.

“Eva,” Dean tried, “you want to tell us where your room is so we can get you there?” Eva pulled her face into an intense thinking expression.

“Ummm,” she said. She put her hand up to her chin and tapped it. “3065?” she said. Dean shrugged.

“Might as well try it,” he said. Cas adjusted Eva in his grip so she was standing up straighter. Sam leaned against Dean and mumbled into his shoulder, leaving a bit of drool. Dean rolled his eyes then pushed Sam’s head so it was facing outwards. “What was that, Sammy?” he asked.

“You smell like Cas,” Sam said. He giggled and rolled his head back, smiling. Dean cleared his throat and avoided looking at what he assumed was a smirk from Charlie.

“Hannah, you want to give me a hand with sasquatch here?” he asked. The angel quickly jumped to Sam’s other side and offered more support. Dean sighed under the weight as he thought about how far away their rooms were. “Well, this should be fun,” he tried.

They did eventually get Eva back to her room. She had given them the right number after all. They found the key in her pocket and helped her open the door before depositing her softly on the bed. Then they got Sam back to his room, with help from all four of them, and dumped him unceremoniously. They all poured out of the room and collapsed against the walls in the hallway, breathing deeply.

“You know, I think it was all worth it for seeing Sam that drunk,” Charlie said. They all looked at each other and broke into peals of laughter. Dean slid down to the floor, tears beginning to eke out the corners of his eyes. Even Hannah and Cas leaned forward, putting their hands on their knees as they tried to calm their laughs.

“Well, I’d say that was a solid day one of cruising, wouldn’t you agree?” Dean asked. They all nodded through their laugher and he grinned, leaning his head back against the wall. He looked over at Cas, who was flushed from carrying Sam and laughing. He was smiling and looked utterly happy. Dean’s heart squeezed again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thoughts? I'm dying to hear what you think!


	5. Day 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What's a vacation without a day at the beach?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A long, possibly over sweet chapter for you all. I hope you enjoy beach fluffiness.

The world was working against them, Dean was positive. Since the day before when they had dumped his little brother into bed, Dean and Cas hadn’t been able to get a single minute alone. It was honestly fucking ridiculous. First, there had been Charlie and Hannah insisting they go with them to finish off the night with a drink. Which was, Dean admitted, awesome. Hannah was much cooler once you got to know her. And once she had drunk half a bar’s worth of alcohol. And Charlie really, _really_ seemed to be hitting it off with her, and that was awesome too. But after their drink, when he’d tried to pull Cas aside, Hannah _insisted_ that they all go to bed.

Yes, she actually said that. Even Cas had pointed out that, hey, angels don’t actually need sleep. She had just drawn her eyebrows together and maintained, “Yes, but humans do!”

Charlie had tried to break in with a lighthearted, “It’s alright, Hannah, I’m really not tired.” But Hannah had just scrunched her face up further in frustration and insisted again.

“Humans need a particular number of hours to function and be happy, correct?” Cas (damn him) had agreed with her. “So, it is late. And we are going on land tomorrow in a foreign place. And you must both be happy. So you should get the proper amount of sleep.” Charlie actually had the fucking nerve to look _charmed_ by that. She had smiled shyly and agreed that maybe it was time for her to head back after all. Traitor. So, fine, that’s their business, right? Oh, no. As soon as Hannah started to walk away with Charlie on her arm (yes, quite literally they had linked arms like they were going to a high school dance) she looked back and glared at Cas.

“Bring your human to bed, Castiel,” she had said. And what the fuck was _that_ about? But she had this look in her eyes that Dean assumed scared Cas as much as it did him and they had just followed along after her, shoulders all slumped. Back at the rooms, they tried to break away again, just telling Hannah to go back to bed but _no._

“Cas, you must allow Dean to sleep so he has the proper energy levels tomorrow,” she had insisted. Like Dean wasn’t right there and also a grown-ass man. And then she hadn’t moved. Just _stared_ at them like a scolding mother for a while until they bid an incredibly awkward goodnight and separated. Dean could only assume that Hannah prevented Cas from exiting the room later. To make sure Dean reached full REM? Whatever. It was bullshit. Fuck the universe.

Which meant it was breakfast, and it was all of them again, and he and Cas still hadn’t talked. He felt twitchy under every inch of his skin. And he couldn’t get his damn leg to stop bouncing under the table. They were doing that thing where they sat a very specific distance apart to make sure no one thought anything had changed, which probably just made them look even weirder. And every now and then he caught Cas glancing over at him, his blue eyes looking sidelong through his dark lashes towards Dean. And that just made Dean’s leg bounce harder and his skin itch more. He actually flinched when Charlie said his name.

“Ah! What?” he demanded. She looked at him like he was nuts.

“What the fuck is wrong with you is what I was going to ask,” she said. Dean let out a breath and tried to settle his blood, but there wasn’t exactly a perfect way to go about that.

“Sorry, just… jumpy,” he said with a winced smile. Hannah grumbled something into her cup of orange juice. “What was that?” Hannah at least looked somewhat ashamed when she repeated herself.

“I said perhaps you needed more sleep,” she said. Dean glared at her.

“Where is Sam?” Cas asked. God, even his voice was doing things to Dean right now. The universe deserved hell for this.

“Still sleeping it off,” Dean said. He avoided looking straight at Cas when he talked, because he was legitimately worried about controlling himself. He really didn’t want to be reduced to going down on an angel in plain view of the cruise breakfast buffet crowd.

“Still?” Charlie said. “Damn, that boy can drink.”

“I taught him well,” Dean said. He pulled off a more convincing smile this time and Charlie rolled her eyes.

“He’s still coming to the beach with us, correct?” Hannah asked. They all looked at her. “I was hoping we could all get a picture on the beach today. I’m aware that humans often take pictures on vacations.”

“Oh yeah, we take a lot of pictures!” Charlie said. She turned to Hannah excitedly and began expanding on that little idea, which Dean didn’t really know how you would go about expanding on, but if he trusted anyone to do it, it was Charlie.

“We’ll get away today on land,” Dean muttered under his breath to Cas.

“Is there going to be a bed on land?” Cas muttered back. Dean possibly blacked out for a couple of seconds.

“Fair enough,” he responded in strangled tones. He would normally have said Cas was smirking at his own comment, but considering the way that the angel tapped his fingers on the table so abruptly, Dean had a feeling he wasn’t much in the smirking mood. He didn’t think he’d ever seen a twitchy angel.

They were getting ready to exit the boat when Sam finally made it up to the deck. Dean suspected he had already been up for at least an hour because he didn’t look nearly as terrible as he should considering how much he’d had to drink. He was wearing sunglasses, but then so were Hannah and Charlie. He waved at them and walked over.

“Morning,” he greeted, a big smile plastered on his face. Charlie and Hannah both bit their lips to avoid laughing. Sam gave them a weird look.

“Morning, Sam,” Dean said. He also bit his lip. He just couldn’t get the image of Sam and Eva the day before going all PG-13 on the deck in front of the nice children. Sam looked at all of them, curiously suspicious.

“Ok, did I miss something?” he asked finally.

“I don’t know, did you?” Charlie asked. Dean could hear the laugh on her voice as she struggled to keep it down.

“How is your head, Sam?” Cas asked. He was the only one that kept a straight face.

“It’s doing fine,” Sam said, still cautious. Cas nodded.

“You don’t feel the acute desire to declare than any of us are beautiful, do you?” he said. With that straight expression. The others lost it. Charlie leaned the ship’s railing for support as Sam’s face transitioned from confused to curious to absolutely fucking horrified.

“Oh my god,” he said, voice quiet.

“I can promise that he was not involved,” Hannah said. Charlie snorted again and covered her mouth with her hand. Sam’s eyes tilted downwards in mortification and he put his head in his hands, moaning slightly.

“You guys saw it all?” Sam said. Dean clapped him on the back.

“Oh, so much better, brother,” he said. He held up his phone and shook it a couple of times. Sam shook his head in horror.

“You didn’t,” he whispered.

“Who is ready to have some beach fun?” Dean asked loudly. Sam winced. Dean grinned at him. “Any chance we can find your lady friend to bring along?” Sam didn’t even have the heart to glare at him.

“I am going to need so many more pain killers for my head today,” he muttered, shaking his head downwards.

“I would assist,” Cas said, “but it was insisted this was a vacation and that I am forbidden from using any of my ‘mojo’. I’m very sorry.” He shrugged his shoulders in a way that indicated he wasn’t actually that sorry at all and Dean barked another laugh.

“You’re all a bunch of bastards,” Sam said.

 

* * *

 

 

The beach was beautiful. It spread out in front of them, golden sand glistening in the sunlight. The waves crashed loudly and knocked down the occasional surfer. It was the perfect temperature and Dean was in paradise. He worked on spreading out his towel, trying to keep it from literally lying _on top_ of Cas’s. There was about an inch between them, which was just going to have to be good enough. He was planning on swimming anyway.

“Shouldn’t we be working on finding the vampire?” Sam asked grumpily. He was sat down on a beach chair and wore an absurd sun hat that Charlie must have bought for him. They also all sat beneath a large umbrella, another of Charlie’s purchases.

“I think we can take a few solo hours, Sammy,” Dean chided. “Plus, this is doubling as a vacation, as you’ll recall. So. Vacation your ass off.”

“Hey, Dean,” Charlie called from Sam’s other side, “toss me the sunscreen from my bag, would you?” Dean reached down to the orange and blue striped bag that sat next to him and rummaged around until he found the white bottle and tossed it over to Charlie, who caught it with one hand. She immediately uncapped it and began spreading the contents over her arms.

“Sunscreen?” Cas asked, lowering his voice so only Dean could hear him as they laid out their towels.

“So you don’t get sunburnt,” Dean responded. Cas made a humming noise. They finished laying their things out and Cas laid down on his towel, flat on his back with his head upturned towards the sky. He closed his eyes and smiled lightly at the feeling of the sun on his skin. He made another hum of contentment. Dean smiled down at him softly.

“Why don’t you take a picture, Dean?” Sam said. He meant it as a jab but Dean hopped into action.

“Oh, good idea!” he said. Sam widened his eyes and then shook his head, pulling his hat over his eyes to take a nap. “Charlie, camera?”

“Bag,” she said. She and Hannah were both lying on their own towels, which were propped up with a sort of half chair that Dean was immediately jealous of. Each of them had a book in their hands as they enjoyed the sunshine. Dean rolled his eyes and searched through the bag again until he found the small, blue camera pouch. He pulled the thing out and turned it on, ignoring all of the different options for the most part. He was fond of a time when cameras involved much less decision making. He went back to his position at the bottom of Cas’s towel and, without saying a thing, snapped a photo of the angel. Cas was wearing swim trunks and a thin, blue V-neck. It was… it was a damn good look on him. Dean put the camera down and smiled at the angel.

“Did you take your picture?” Cas asked, his smile spreading across his cheeks. Dean refused to be embarrassed.

“Got it,” he smiled. “It’s a pretty damn good one, if I say so myself.” Cas cracked one eye at him and smirked. Dean winked in response.

“Hey, do we get a picture?” Charlie demanded. Dean jumped at her voice and walked over quickly.

“Right, yeah, of course,” he said. He stood in front of them. “Smile, ladies,” he said. Charlie broke into a wide grin and leaned closer to Hannah so her head was almost leaning on the angel’s shoulder. Hannah’s smile was slightly more reserved, but she leaned in to match and their heads touched together. Dean snapped the image. Actually, he had to admit it was a great picture of them.

“May I see?” Hannah asked. Dean started over towards her but Charlie waved a hand away.

“Oh no,” Charlie said. “No looking at vacation pictures until the vacation ends. Those are the rules.”

“Are they?” Sam muttered. Charlie glanced over at him.

“The rules with pictures,” she said. “You can look at video whenever you want.” Sam sat up so quickly his hat fell off and into the sand.

“There’s… you took video?!” he asked. Dean smirked.

“Smile, Sammy!” he said, and clicked the camera. “So, who wants to swim?” Sam glared at him and just snatched his hat up off the ground and placed it back over his eyes in lieu of answering.

“I think we might stick to our books for a little while longer,” Charlie said. Hannah made a vague agreeable noise and turned the page in her own novel.

“And what about you, Cas?” Dean asked. The angel sighed and opened his eyes as he leaned slightly upwards to look at Dean.

“But it’s so comfortable here,” he said.

“Are you fucking whining at me?” Dean said with a laugh. Cas shrugged. Dean shook his head. “Oh, no, you aren’t getting out of this. You’re swimming. Come on, get up, you lazy ass.” He reached for both of Cas’s hands and yanked him up, drawing Cas into his space. They smiled at each other for a beat and Dean almost lost control and leaned forward but Charlie cleared her throat. He glanced over at her and saw her looking over her sunglasses with a raised eyebrow as if to say _‘oh, really?’_ and Dean took a step back and glared.

“Sunscreen?” he asked, allowing annoyance to color his tone. Charlie just grinned, grabbed the bottle, and tossed it over towards them. It flew way off mark and landed past Dean and in the sand. Dean looked at the bottle and then at Charlie.

“Ok, so my hand-eye isn’t perfect,” she said. “Sue me.” She immediately dove back into her book. Dean rolled his eyes and walked to grab the sunscreen. He came back to the towels and began spreading the stuff all over his arms, rubbing it into his skin. He brushed it across his cheeks and nose, all too aware of the numerous freckles that were already there. No helping it now. Then he pulled of his shirt and rubbed the stuff across his chest and on the top half of his back, stretching to reach as well as he could. When he finished, he put out his arm to hand the bottle to Cas. When the angel didn’t immediately take it, Dean turned to look at him.

“Cas?” he asked. The angel was just staring at him, cheeks red. He shook himself.

“Yes?” Cas asked. He caught sight of the sunscreen bottle. “Oh! Sunscreen. Of course.” He took the bottle quickly from Dean’s hands and began spreading it on himself. He followed exactly Dean’s methods, finishing with removing his shirt. Dean’s throat got a bit dry. He quickly understood why Cas hadn’t been paying full attention. Cas was more fit than Dean had ever really considered. His arms were well-defined and he had a small brush of dark hair across his chest, which he rubbed the sunscreen on. Dean was mesmerized for a moment.

“Dean, I can’t reach my back,” he said. Dean took a few gulps of air.

“I’ll get it,” he said, sounding strangled. Cas came and sat in front of him, back exposed. He had thick shoulder muscles across a well-built back. Dean gulped again. He squirted the sunscreen into his hand and then rubbed both his palms together. He reached towards Cas carefully and stopped just short of touching skin to take a breath. He finally finished moving forward and began to massage the sunscreen into Cas’s back.

He started at Cas’s shoulders, rubbing his hands along the upper half of his back and then up to the base of his neck, which was tensed. He moved his hands down, directly following the jutting line of Cas’s spine. The angel shivered slightly in front of him and Dean got a thrill of pleasure. He squirted a bit more sunscreen into his hand and started from the bottom of Cas’s back, slowly massaging his way upwards against the hard muscles. He leisurely moved all the way back up to Cas’s shoulders, taking a few extra moments to knead the tight muscles there, around Cas’s neck, before sliding his hands down and away.

“How was that?” Dean murmured.

“Well, it was great for us,” Charlie announced. Dean’s eyes widened and he looked up to see Charlie and Hannah both staring at him over their glasses. They were both smirking. And when the hell did Charlie teach Hannah to smirk?

“Oh, fuck you guys,” Dean said. Charlie held up her hands in surrender but snickered as she returned to her book. “Come on, Cas. Let’s swim.” Cas stood up shakily and followed Dean towards the water. Once they were out of earshot, Cas leaned in closer to Dean.

“That was exceptionally wonderful,” Cas muttered. Dean felt a pulse of warmth in his gut.

“Good,” he responded. He had the sudden thought that, if Charlie and Hannah and Sam hadn’t been able to see them, he would have grabbed Cas’s hand right then and there to walk the rest of the way down the beach. Cas seemed to almost read his mind and reached over to lightly brush his fingertips across the back of Dean’s hand before allowing his arm to fall back to his side. Dean felt the touch send shivers up his arm. They both stood in front of the ocean spray, the water just tickling their toes.

“So, what do we do now?” Cas asked. He was staring out at the water which gave Dean all the opportunity he needed to abruptly grab Cas around the middle and toss him over his shoulder. He walked – with great difficulty, because Cas was much heavier than he looked – farther into the water and then sharply dumped Cas in. The angel’s head popped back up after a couple of seconds, obviously stunned.

“I was thinking we’d do that,” Dean said with a smile.

“Oh, I see,” Cas responded. He thought seriously for a moment. “Then what about this?” At which point he leapt forward, faster than Dean could even really see, and tackled Dean into the water. They both went down into the salty spray hard, the water crushing in over them before Dean was able to push Cas back up and pull himself out of the water. He took a ragged breath inwards and punched Cas across the arm, then grabbed at his hand with a pained expression.

“Fuck,” he swore loudly.

“I thought you knew that punching me was a bad decision for the safety of your hand,” Cas said with a sly smile.

“That’s it, you’re going down,” Dean said. He tackled Cas right back into the briny water, and both of them laughed, hard and long. Finally, he got the angel under the water again and pushed their faces close so he could press a kiss into Cas’s lips. The angel smiled against his mouth but used the leverage to shove Dean up and out of the water. From then on, it became a game of who could keep the other underwater for longer, and who could hold who down for an extra salty kiss.

 

* * *

 

 

Charlie leaned in towards her book and rapidly flipped page after page. Hannah sat next to her, much more relaxed in her reading. After another page, Charlie’s eyes widened more and she almost tore the page flipping it.

“Is your book exciting?” Hannah asked. She didn’t look up from her own pages, just continued to vaguely absorb them, not really caring to remember the details.

“Shit, hold on,” Charlie muttered. She flipped another page, eyes tracking the words incredibly quickly. Hannah left her alone for a few minutes, just trying to enjoy her own story. She didn’t really understand her book. Well, not that she didn’t understand it. It just didn’t have a lot of substance. She’d purchased it at the airport when they were waiting for their plane. It had seemed right, considering Charlie had a book in her own bag. Only Charlie’s book was black with red slashes across it, and carefully nondescript words across the front that stood out. _Gone Girl._ It was an eye-catching cover. Hannah’s book had an image of a man without a shirt on the front. He was remarkably well-built, and facing outwards, while a woman had her arms wrapped around him tightly. Her eyes were closed tightly as though standing so near the man was actually painful. According to the book, they were in love, but it didn’t seem to fit the definition of love that Hannah had begun to learn from humanity.

The two humans in her book yelled a lot, and were very dramatic. They had a lot of problems that Hannah thought could have probably been solved much more quickly and effectively if they tried. But instead they became these insurmountable issues that led to the two people on the cover of the book to engage in copious amounts of intercourse. Hannah suspected that Charlie’s book had slightly more entertaining aspects to it. After a few more minutes of silence besides the crashing of waves and quickly flipped pages, Charlie finally closed her book slowly, placing a bookmark inside to keep her place.

“Well, fuck,” she whispered. Hannah looked up from her book.

“Is your book very exciting?” she asked. Charlie whistled and shook her head.

“You have no idea,” she said.

“Oh,” Hannah said. She grabbed a spare piece of paper and put it between the pages of her own book. “Then it isn’t like mine at all.” Charlie chuckled.

“No, I think they’re pretty different,” she said. She picked up Hannah’s book and read the description. She laughed at one point, then turned it over and chuckled again at the image on the front. “Why did you even pick this one?”

“The cover intrigued me,” Hannah said.

“You into built guys, Hannah?” Charlie chuckled, but Hannah detected a hint of nervousness.

“I didn’t choose it for the attractiveness of the man on the cover,” Hannah said. Charlie shrugged and handed the book back to her.

“Hey, I wouldn’t judge,” Charlie said. She busied herself putting away her own book in the bag next to her.

“Charlie,” Hannah said. She paused until Charlie turned to look at her. “I chose the book because it said romance on the cover. I wanted to… learn. About romance. That’s why I chose it.” She gave a modest smile. Slowly Charlie matched it, and then laughed loudly.

“Well, I’m sorry to tell you, but this isn’t going to teach you jack shit about romance,” she said. “If you’ll pardon my French.” Hannah squinted.

“Is that a turn of phrase?” she asked. Charlie rolled her eyes but still smiled.

“Yes, it’s a turn of phrase,” she said. “And that book is garbage, at least as far as learning about love.”

“I didn’t say I wanted to learn about love, just romance,” Hannah said. Charlie looked at her for a long minute then shook her head and turned away. They sat in silence for a couple of seconds and Hannah reached for Charlie’s book. “Would your book be a better choice for learning about romance?” Charlie grabbed for the black book rapidly.

“No! No, no, no,” Charlie said. “It would definitely not help you with that.” She stuffed the book harder into her bad, burying it under a few other items. They were interrupted from continuing their conversation by Sam waking up. First there were grumbles, then a long groan and sigh, and then Sam sat up. He stretched his neck back and forth a couple of times and put his hat back on his head.

“Did you sleep well, Sam?” Hannah asked. He jumped at her voice like he had forgotten there was anyone else there. He yawned.

“Uh, yeah,” he said. He slowly nodded his head. “Yeah, I did. I think I needed that.”

“Those who have been sloppy drunk to tend to enjoy a few extra hours of shut eye,” Charlie said, and she said it with that same infuriatingly smug face that Dean pulled.

“Well, now that you mention alcohol,” he said, standing up, “I’m going to see if I can find anything to drink around here.”

“Ah, I see the kind of vacation you’re aiming for,” Charlie said. She shook her head but pointed up the beach. “I think I saw some shops over that way.” Sam looked over for a while and nodded.

“Thanks,” he said. He looked around. “Hey, where are Dean and Cas?” Charlie snorted and Hannah hid a smile.

“The two idiots are having a water fight,” Charlie said. She pointed out at the water and Sam followed her gaze to see his brother lift an angel of the fucking lord onto his shoulders and then dump him into the water, only to be dragged down a minute later himself. Then both of their heads popped up, Dean laughing, until Cas used both arms to throw quite a lot of salt water directly into Dean’s face. Sam’s jaw slowly dropped.

“Oh, my god,” he said. “I get drunk and Dean gets a video. He starts having water wars like a fucking child with an _angel_ and he gets away with it. Talk about double standards.” He shook his head and turned to see Charlie rubbing her thumb and finger together. He tilted his head in question.

“World’s smallest violin,” she said. Sam scrunched his face up and flipped her off.

“I’m getting a drink,” he muttered. He stalked away – as much as one can stalk while wearing sandals and walking through heavy sand. It really looked funny more than anything else. Charlie chuckled. Hannah tapped her arm.

"What are those children doing?” she asked. Charlie looked and saw the two kids Hannah was referring two, who were stacking up piles of sand.

“They’re building a sandcastle!” Charlie said. She smiled softly. “I haven’t built one since I was just a kid.”

"So they just… build a castle of sand?” Hannah asked. Charlie nodded. “For what purpose?”

“Just for fun, really,” Charlie said. “It washes away with the tide at the end of the day anyway.” Hannah considered the children for a while longer.

“Could we build a sandcastle?” Charlie grinned.

“Yeah, I think we can do that.”

An hour later, Charlie was pretty sure they were easily the greatest sandcastle creators on the planet. The thing was not a mound of sand on a beach that you make as a kid. This was a _castle._ There were rooms. Hannah had created a floor plan. It had multiple floors and a large wall around the moat and a bridge and towers and… it was a damn impressive castle. Hannah was tracing lines around one of the rounding walls with a bobby pin she’d found in Charlie’s bag to create the illusion of bricks building the whole structure. At the same time, Charlie used the flat edge of the sunscreen bottle to scrape more even planes into the sloping roof of one of the spires. They should be paid for this thing. They should pour some kind of sealant over it and display it in a damn museum. When she voiced this, Hannah took a step back to give their work an appraising look.

“It’s good, but it needs a few more touches,” she said. Charlie just laughed.

"Like what?!” Charlie said. “This thing is incredible!”

“I have to agree,” Cas’s voice came up behind her and she turned to give him a smile. He was dripping wet, salt water still trailing down from tendrils of hair and leaving tracks of water across his skin. Dean joined them after a moment in a similar display. They were both grinning widely, which Charlie thought seemed like a new look for Cas. But he looked like he might be coming into it nicely.

“Guys, this thing is fucking incredible,” Dean said.

“It is good,” Hannah said. She still scrutinized their work. “But it needs something else.” Charlie groaned.

“What?” she said. She crossed her arms but continued to smile in Hannah’s direction, in a state of charmed annoyance.

“Do we have anything we could use for flags?” she asked, looking up. She caught Charlie’s smile and looked away bashfully. Dean looked around the beach and spotted the castle Hannah and Charlie had seen being built earlier, only now it was abandoned.

“Doesn’t that one have some flags?” he asked.

“Dean, we can’t steal their flags,” Charlie complained.

“Why?” he got defensive. “They’re gone. The castle isn’t using them anymore.”

“Dean has a point,” Cas said.

“Well, of course you would take his side,” Charlie muttered with a head shake. Cas leveled an annoyed glare at her.

“I don’t consider it stealing when the owners of the flags have long gone,” he said.

“There,” Hannah said. They all turned to look at the castle. In each spire she had inserted a small flower. Each bloom was small, with delicate petals. They were yellow at the center and faded out to white and then violet along the edges. Charlie looked around and saw where the blooms must have fallen closer to the greenery of the mainland.

“Beautiful,” Charlie muttered. Hannah smiled broadly at the praise.

"I didn’t want to use stolen materials from a lesser castle to finish our own,” Hannah said. “Do you agree?” Charlie sent an ‘ _I told you so’_ look to Cas and Dean, who shuffled their feet.

“I totally agree,” she said. They both smiled at each other for a minute until Dean cleared his throat. And, hey, that was supposed to be Charlie’s thing!

“You guys want a picture with your masterpiece?” Dean asked. He moved towards the camera bag.

“No,” Hannah said. They all looked at her. “I like the impermanence of it. We built something beautiful but then it goes back to being sand. And someone else comes along and they make their own beautiful thing. I don’t want to ruin it by making it permanent.” Cas smiled at her. Charlie didn’t say anything, just looked from Hannah to the precious little flowers at the tops of the castle spires.

 

* * *

 

 

Richard Phillips had been dragged on this cruise by his wife and her parents. It wasn’t that he hated cruises, or that he disliked his wife. Actually, he adored his wife. But the in-laws. Sure, it was a cliché, but clichés existed for a goddamn reason. And now all four of them were walking along this beach in the scorching heat and his mother-in-law wouldn’t stop talking in an exaggeratedly loud voice at anyone whose skin was slightly darker than hers and his father-in-law wouldn’t stop haggling and, well, Richard was going a bit insane. This was not his idea of an excellent vacation.

He walked to a little stand that sold delicate shell bracelets and wondered if Alexandria might like one. He bought one just in case, giving the little girl with the box a couple of small bills. She smiled widely and thanked him before walking away to find some more customers. Richard decided to stay away from his in-laws for a while longer and wandered from little booth to little booth, appreciating the wares. At which point he was nearly bowled over by an incredibly tall man with long hair and sunglasses.

“Sorry, sorry,” the guy muttered. He stumbled a bit, then wound around Richard and to another booth to loudly inquire about a selection of silk scarves. _Drunk_ , Richard thought. This thought was quickly followed by, _I wish I was drunk._ Richard stepped off the path and kept his eyes on the tall man, for lack of something better to do.

The guy was just _absurdly_ tall. It was the kind of tall you didn’t really know how to deal with, all lumbering limbs, which became even more lumbering with the influence of alcohol. He had an almost empty glass in his hand, which he was careful not to spill. He tried to walk carefully from place to place and ask about goods. At one station he found a small frog carved out of wood and smiled at it softly. He asked in that loud tone how much the frog was and then handed over the money, which Richard thought looked like probably too much, but that was the guy’s own fault. He took the tiny wooden frog into his hands then placed it in his pocket.

Then, weirdest thing of the day so far, the tall guy turned around and stopped dead in his tracks. He was looking at something and his eyes widened as his mouth fell open. Richard looked over with interest at what had caught the man’s eye and spotted a woman. She was mid-height, olive skinned, and striking. Richard looked back to the guy but he was totally gone. He quickly glanced around until he caught sight of the man again.

He was admirably trying to sneak along the path by hiding behind a group of people who were about a foot and a half shorter than him. He was bent almost in half, and tripped over his feet a few times too many. One of the women in the group shoved him sharply and he stumbled away and almost crashed into a cart that was selling fruits. Richard laughed under his breath. Then the guy glanced back over, saw the woman turning his way, and literally dove under the fruit cart. Richard laughed loudly and a nearby woman stopped to give him a weird look. He cleared his throat and apologized.

“Richard?” he heard his wife call. Richard turned to see her walking towards him with a bag on one arm. Both her parents followed close behind, and each wore an expression highlighted by pursed lips.

“Are we ready to head back to the ship?” he asked. Alexandria gave him an eye-roll, turning so her parents wouldn’t see her.

“Absolutely ready,” she said from the corner of her mouth. Richard laughed. He would give her the bracelet later, when they were on their own. As they wound their way down the beach and back towards the ship, Richard caught sight of the tall man again. He stumbled away from the fruit cart, waving his hands as the man behind the cart yelled at him, and ran directly into the woman Richard knew he had been avoiding.

The man jumped and turned and looked like he muttered a few words. He reached into his pocket and gave the woman the little frog he had purchased earlier, but didn’t look up at her face. Richard blinked and then the two of them were kissing, the woman up on her tip toes to reach. After a few moments the man wound his arms around her waist and lifted her up so they were both at the same level. They both smiled as they kissed.

Richard shook his head and looked back at his party. That guy really had the right idea about how to celebrate a cruise.

 

* * *

 

 

"You’ve never been in the ocean?” Charlie asked. Hannah shrugged, a gesture which already was looking more familiar on her as the days passed.

“When would I have had the opportunity to swim?” the angel responded. Charlie had to admit Hannah had her there. They were back to sitting on their towels. Cas and Dean sat near them, all four looking out at the ocean appreciatively.

“The water is very refreshing, Hannah,” Cas said.

“Yeah, very invigorating,” Dean said. He winked at Cas while Charlie had her back turned and the angel bit down a smile.

“Do you think you want to go for a swim?” Charlie asked.

“Perhaps,” Hannah said, noncommittally. Charlie sighed.

“You should try it while we’re still here,” she said. “I mean, you’re supposed to be trying all the human things, right?” Hannah shifted slightly uncomfortably on her towel.

“Can we walk up closer to the water?” she asked under her breath, trying to speak quietly enough that Cas and Dean would understand to leave them alone.

“Yeah, sure,” Charlie responded in an equally soft tone. “Hey, guys, we’re gonna go for a walk. Keep the spot warm for us,” Charlie smiled and helped Hannah up. They both walked down the beach and stopped just where the waves lapped at the sand. They both turned and began to walk parallel to the water. Hannah crossed her arms when a breath of air swept over the waves.

 “You cold?” Charlie asked. “I can go back and get you my shawl.”

"Angels don’t get cold,” Hannah responded.

“Oh, right,” Charlie looked down. They walked at a meandering pace, staying a certain distance from the water. “You want to tell me why you don’t want to swim?” Hannah sucked in a breath.

“I’m. It’s embarrassing,” Hannah said. Charlie blinked.

“You’re embarrassed?” she asked.

“It appears so,” Hannah muttered like she was frustrated by the fact.

“It’s ok to feel that way, you know,” Charlie said. She tried to not look at Hannah’s face in case that made the angel more uncomfortable. “It means you’re feeling.”

“And I’m not sure how I feel about that,” Hannah said. They looked up at each other and chuckled at the redundancy. Hannah stopped and turned to face the water. “It’s just, I think I’m frightened of the water.” She said, so softly Charlie had to strain to hear. Charlie swallowed down her immediate response of _‘an angel? Afraid of water?’_ and just nodded.

"Why?” she finally asked.

“It’s so big,” Hannah said. “I’m used to huge things, but this is a huge place that swallows you up. It seems impossible to tame, impossible to control. I don’t like feeling that sense of impending doom. Especially not when it would take away from your having fun.” Charlie chuckled and Hannah glared at her, hurt. Charlie stopped abruptly.

“I’m not laughing at you!” she said, jumping closer into Hannah’s space. “I swear. I just. It’s funny that you’re worried about _me_ when you’re busy thinking about the, you know, intense fear of the sea and such.” Hannah’s face melted back into worry.

“I am frustrated that I feel afraid,” she said. “I shouldn’t. I’m built not to feel fear.”

“Fear is natural,” Charlie said. She glanced at Hannah. “I mean, it should be. If you don’t have the bad, then you can’t feel the good.”

“That’s an interesting viewpoint,” Hannah said mildly. Charlie considered the water again.

“Do you trust me?” she asked. Hannah rolled her eyes.

“You ask that question a lot.”

“I know, but just tell me,” Charlie said. Hannah sighed.

"Of course,” she said.

“Alright, then follow me,” Charlie said. She took a step forward, her foot making contact with the cold water. Hannah hesitated for a moment, then followed. She made careful footprints in the sand and they slowly moved into the water father and farther until it was up to their hips.

“It is very… crisp on my skin,” Hannah noted.

“Ready for the next step?” Charlie asked. Hannah nodded. “Ok, now just lower yourself into the water and let your muscles relax. Here, hold onto my arm.” Hannah grasped her arm as she carefully sunk into the water. “Let your legs float up,” Charlie said. She used a coaxing, soft voice and Hannah followed her instructions. She allowed her body to loosen and then relaxed her legs so they floated up against the water.

“Awesome,” Charlie said. “Just breathe. Give me a second.” Charlie followed her own instructions until she was floating alongside Hannah. The angel tensed against the waves, which moved her without effort. She went to put a foot down to steady herself but Charlie stopped her.

“It’s fine, Hannah,” Charlie said, in that soothing voice. “Just breathe. Take my hand.” Hannah moved her grasp on Charlie arm downwards and intertwined their fingers.

“I’m not sure about this,” Hannah muttered. She tried to focus on staying relaxed.

“You’re doing great,” Charlie said. “Just let your body and the waves do the work.” After that, they were silent. Hannah kept her eyes upwards on the sky, watching as the sun slowly sank bit by bit. She kept Charlie’s hand clenched firmly in her own, letting the redhead be her anchor. They must have been carried by the current for a long while, but after probably an hour Hannah sighed and smiled.

“Thank you, Charlie,” she said.

“No problem,” Charlie responded. She gave Hannah’s hand a squeeze. “You ready to go back in?”

“I’d like to float a little while longer. Is that ok?”

“It’s perfect.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments? I'd love to hear what you all think!


	6. Day 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Secret plans, awkward brotherly conversations, and confusing encounters. All in a day's work, really.

“Anyone seen Sammy yet today?” Dean asked over breakfast. They were in one of the actual restaurants today, which meant an excellent plate of whipped cream-topped waffles for him. The others had followed suit in ordering absurdly sugary, whipped cream covered foods. Really they were just taking advantage of Sam’s absence and therefore the lack of a lecture about how they were eating. Hannah’s French toast actually had a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top. Dean was trying very hard not to be jealous.

“No, not since last night,” Charlie said around a mouthful of pancakes. “Was he not in your room earlier?” Dean shook his head and struggled to swallow the far too large bite in his mouth.

“Nah, gone when I woke up,” he said. Cas lifted up a fork to his mouth filled to the brim with Lingonberry crepes.

“Maybe he needed some fresh air,” he remarked. Dean snorted.

“Yeah, sounds right,” he said. “I don’t think sobriety factors into his plan this week.”

“Go big or go home,” Hannah muttered. Everyone turned to look at her and she shrunk back in her chair. “Did I use that expression incorrectly?”

“No, that was nicely put,” Cas smiled at her. “So, what are your plans for the day, then?” Charlie swallowed her mouthful of food and gulped down the remainder of her cup of coffee.

“Well, we thought it was high time to check out the internet bar on this damn thing,” she said. Dean rolled his eyes.

“I’m surprised it took you this long,” he said. Charlie huffed.

“Hey, I am more than my wifi connection,” Dean looked at her with a raised eyebrow for a few seconds until she relented and uncrossed her arms. “Fine, I’m going nuts.”

“Well, go and enjoy,” Dean said. “Let me know if anything exciting has happened in the world since we left.” Charlie snorted.

“Oh, please,” she said. “You guys bring the crazy with you. If anything huge happens, it’s gonna be on this boat.”

“Speaking of,” Hannah said. “Has anyone got any leads on the identity of the vampire?” A woman walked past just as she voiced the last word and they all got a strange look. The woman sat at the table across from them, her brown hair pulled back into a pony tail, which only made her face look more tight than it probably did on a normal day. Dean sent her an apologetic, _‘sorry, my friend is totally out of her mind’_ look.

“Why don’t you say that word a little louder next time, eh, Hannah?” he said in a whisper. Charlie glared at him.

“Like you don’t regularly discuss monsters in crowded diners,” she said. Dean swallowed his retort when he realized he really didn’t have one.

“To answer your question, we have no leads,” Cas said, ignoring Dean and Charlie entirely.

“Nor do we,” Hannah said. “So we must keep our eyes peeled today.”

“If you see a guy named Holt acting weird, just leave him alone,” Dean muttered. Cas cracked a smile while Charlie looked between them with narrowed eyes.

“Uh huh,” she said. They offered no further explanation so she wiped her face on her napkin and stood up. “Well, we have an internet bar to check out. What are you two doing?” Dean suddenly looked uncomfortable, arms not staying place wherever he put them. Cas remained stoic.

“We are going to see the comedy show,” Cas said. Charlie narrowed her eyes more. Dean tried to give her a convincing smile. She shook her head.

“Whatever,” she said. “Hope it’s funny!” Both her and Hannah waved and walked out of the breakfast area, turning left at the corridor. They made it down the hall a few feet before Charlie leaned in close to say, in an undertone, “So, spa is upstairs, right?”

“According to the ship’s map,” Hannah said. Charlie smiled. She wound her arm around Hannah’s as they walked and found the entrance to the adult day spa. Charlie walked up to the desk.

“Double massage,” she said, trying to sound more confident than she felt. Like she went and got double massages every day. The light skinned woman behind the counter smiled serenely and made a couple of notes into a computer.

“We have a room available just down here,” the woman said. “Alexa and Kai are excellent.” The walls of the spa were all painted a shade that, to Charlie, read as a vague _eh_ noise and a wishy-washy hand gesture. There were large potted plants tucked into each corner, big ferny leaves and there was an incense smell that made the air heavier. At the end of the hallway, the desk woman opened a door which had a center made of opaque glass.

“Step inside here,” she said, with that same calm smile. “Undress and lie down on the beds. Your masseuses will be in shortly. You can cover yourselves with the towels just there.” She indicated the pile of cotton towels at the end of the beds. They were large and thick.

“Thank you,” Charlie said. Hannah inclined her head in agreement and the woman left by softly closing the door behind them. Hannah marched over to the towels and quickly began removing clothes. Charlie averted her eyes with a swift turn. “Oh, sorry,” she muttered. She went to the other end of the room, where there seemed to be a place to stack clothing. She could feel Hannah’s eyes on her.

“There is no need for apologies,” Hannah said. Charlie heard a bit of clothing falling to the floor and she blushed. This was ridiculous. She’d changed clothes in a damn locker room before, this wasn’t _that_ different. But it was because she felt skeevie staring at the angel. How did Dean do this all the time and act like all was normal? Charlie pulled off her shorts and folded them. They were quickly followed by her light shirt and then her bra. Charlie wrapped herself in one of the towels, which was even softer than it looked. It had been warmed and wrapped her up like a cloud. Charlie sighed into the feeling.

“I could get used to this,” she said. She turned around and sucked in an alarmed breath, smacking her hand over her eyes. Hannah stood in front of her, stark naked. Charlie focused on trying to breathe. “Um,” she tried. She swallowed and grabbed at her towel to make it more secure.

“Does nakedness make you uncomfortable?” Hannah asked. Charlie could tell she hadn’t moved at all. “I know it makes some humans feel distressed.” Charlie kept her hand over her eyes.

“It’s not that it makes me uncomfortable, per say,” she said. “I just. You should cover up with a towel.”

“I’m not embarrassed,” Hannah said. “This body has not always been mine, and it isn’t really me. I don’t feel any shame if you look.” She still didn’t move. Charlie sent a quick prayer up to God (just in case he was actually real, because this seemed like the kind of situation you wanted to double bag) to not burn her soul in hell. Then she lowered her hand.

Hannah was slim but lithe. She had a runner’s build, with thick legs. Her arms had some muscular definition, but not a lot. And she had a tight stomach. And the breasts were their own special level of amazing.

“You see, it is just a body,” Hannah said. She smiled softly. Charlie nodded, but felt her heart pumping heavily.

“It’s a very nice body,” she said, voice coming out strangled. Hannah looked down, considering herself for a moment.

“Thank you,” she said, finally looking up. “Shall we lay on these beds?” Charlie nodded. They both walked up on opposite sides of the bed so they had to look at each other when it was time to lie down. Hannah didn’t move, just stared softly at the other bed. With a cleared through, Charlie let her towel drop and she went up the step and then laid down, chest first, on the bed. She used a hand to pull the towel over her lower half and let her head fit into the little hole in the massage table. She heard Hannah follow suit.

“Your body is nice too,” Hannah said, after a few silent moments. Charlie smiled into the light blue vinyl. She felt her face heat. A soft knock sounded on the door and it creaked open.

“Hello,” a soft female voice said. “I’m Alexa and I’ll be your masseuse today.” This was followed by a barely there clicking noise and then the sound of light pipe tones and breezy wind.

“And I’m Kai,” another female voice, this one more husky, said. It was accompanied by a soft touch to Charlie’s shoulder blade. “We’re here to do what we can to make this day feel like heaven.” Charlie couldn’t help it. She started to laugh. It was a loud, bursting noise, which she quickly tried to stifle.

“Sorry,” she muttered. She listened hard and could still hear Hannah’s snickering from across the way. Charlie turned her head to look at Hannah in amusement, and the angel did the same. Their wide smiles met and they both shared another laugh.

“We apologize,” Hannah said. “A joke we share.”

“Of course,” Alexa said. She sounded sterner, less like she was swaying in a grass skirt in the middle of a field. “Are you both ready?”

“Yes,” Charlie and Hannah said in unison. Charlie smiled into the vinyl again. Kai’s hands started to play against her skin and she sunk into a state of bliss.

An hour later, Charlie had never felt more relaxed in her entire life. The tension in her shoulders (which she was pretty sure had been there since she was a pre-teen) was absolutely gone. She had very nearly begged Kai to come back with her off the ship and just massage Charlie every now and then. She did, eventually, decide against that. When both she and Hannah had cotton robes on, they shared a blissed out smile. The robe felt glorious, light and melting, much like the towels had. Charlie was going to have to ask what fucking fabric softener they used on this boat because _damn._

“That was lovely,” Hannah said. She was looking at Charlie but Alexa was the one who answered.

“You’re very welcome,” she said. Charlie withheld a glare, trying to contain the _‘she wasn’t talking to you, dumbass,’_ and barely managed. Hannah must have sensed some of her annoyance because she sent Charlie a chiding look.

“Next, you will be moved to the pedicure area,” Kai said. Charlie looked at her.

“We get pedicures?”

“It is a full spa service,” Alexa said, with a forced smile. Charlie really, _really_ did not like her. “If you’ll both stand up and follow me, I’ll take you to the room.” They jumped off of their tables, stepped into the provided padded slippers, and walked down the hallway. Alexa led them through a couple of different corridors and Charlie almost thought she saw someone diving behind a plant when they walked across one hallway, but then immediately threw out that idea with a shrug. Weird. Alexa led them to a room with chairs that were tilted backwards and indicated they take a seat.

“Percy and Tara will be in in a bit,” she said. “Until then, there is some cucumber water over in the corner there, and you two can just relax.” She left them alone, walking softly like she was tiptoeing. As soon as the door closed Hannah exhaled loudly.

“I did not like that woman,” she said. Charlie laughed, only partially out of relief.

“Oh, thank god,” she said, which got Hannah to laugh with her, and they were still laughing when the two pedicurists walked in.

 

* * *

 

 

This was secret shit. This was top fucking secret. Not a word of this reached the outside world ever. But Cas had asked, and Dean had figured out (even before he admitted he loved the guy) that he would do most of what Cas asked. As long as it didn’t involve betrayal or mass murder or working with Crowley. Those were basically his limits. But Cas had seen this on the list of ship activities, noticed that it was an activity that actually prevented people from interrupting them, and asked if they could go. So they went.

And so Dean sat, in a robe, on a vinyl bed while soft-core Enya played in the background. But Cas looked happy as hell so, while this shit was secret as hell, it was definitely a day Dean felt he could be proud of.

"That was lovely,” Cas said. He stretched his neck, leaning his head back and forth a couple of times. He sighed contentedly and the noise affected Dean in ways he didn’t really want to address at that moment.

“Yeah, they really know how to loosen up your muscles,” Dean said. He also leaned his head back. “Damn, I haven’t felt this good in a long time.” Cas cracked an eye to look over at him.   

“So you don’t regret coming?” he asked. Dean rolled his eyes.

“No, I don’t regret coming,” he said. He looked over at the door, which remained closed, and crossed the room quickly. He placed a soft kiss on Cas’s lips, which the angel deepened, parting his lips softly to allow Dean’s tongue entrance. Dean licked his way into Cas’s mouth, which elicited a soft moan from the angel that went straight to Dean’s pants. Dean made a soft noise and pushed against Cas’s legs, which were leaning off the bed, until they opened and permitted Dean to moved closer.

Dean pulled Cas’s robe open slightly, letting his hand track lightly across the angel’s collarbone. Cas shivered under the touch and tried to get closer. He was only able to nudge slightly closer to Dean’s body, considering the fact that they were practically flush against each other as it was. Cas lifted his legs and linked them around Dean’s back, pulling him hard towards the table, which really hurt Dean’s hips but he did not give a single fuck. Dean tried to pull back in the kiss and Cas met the effort with a soft bite of Dean’s lip that made his heart skip a beat. He quickly thought ‘ _fuck it’_ and grabbed Cas around the back and lifted him off the table.

His arms were around Cas, his hands on the angel’s ass, and he took a couple of steps backward so they were leaning against Dean’s bed instead. He thought for a minute about the situation. They were both in robes. _Robes._ There was nothing between them but a fancy fucking towel. And Dean was already hard. He squeezed Cas’s ass through the robe, bringing them closer, and noticed Cas was in a similar state. Dean let out a little lost moan.

“Ahem,” a little voice said. Dean abruptly let Cas’s legs fall to the floor. In the doorway, a small woman in the traditional dress of the rest of the cruise spa employees stood there. She had a disapproving mini-frown on, but Dean suspected this was not the first time she had caught someone in the act. _Well, almost the act,_ Dean thought. He looked down and rapidly pulled his robe more tightly around him.

“I’m, uh, we’re,” Dean stammered.

“So sorry,” Cas added, sounding equally stunned and out of sorts. The woman rolled her eyes.

“Whatever,” she said with a sigh. “Are you two also doing the face mask portion of the package? I don’t have that marked down from when you signed in.” Dean shook his head rapidly.    

“Uh, no, just the massage,” Dean said. He glanced out of the corner of his eye and saw Cas fidgeting, his tongue darting out occasionally to lick his lips. _Fuck._

“Well then, you can both get dressed,” she said, looking at them especially hard on the last two words. “And then you can go. Enjoy the rest of your cruise.” She smiled and backed out the door, closing it softly. They did everything in this damn place softly. It should be called ‘Softly: Massage and Spa’.

“I can’t believe I just got caught groping a guy like I’m in high school again or something,” Dean sighed out as soon as she was gone.

“Dean, not to rush you,” Cas said. He sounded strained. Dean looked up at him. “But I would really like to get back to our room quickly now.” Dean straightened up immediately.

“Oh!” he said, far too loudly. He turned in place, not keeping track of his thoughts very well. “We left them in the other room. The clothes. We left those in the other room.”

"Right,” Cas said. He eyed the door like it was a personal affront to him. “Let’s go.” He marched over to the door and flung it open. Dean had to catch it before it hit the wall, looking like it was going fast enough for the knob to punch a hole in what couldn’t have been very thick plaster. He followed behind Cas, both of them walking above average speed.

“Down that way,” Dean muttered, pointing. Cas veered quickly. They were both about to walk around the corner when Dean caught sight of a flash of red hair. He did a double take and then gave Cas a shove forward before diving behind a plant.

“What was that?” Cas hissed from the corner. Dean waved him down and leaned around the firm. Fuck, it really was them. Charlie and Hannah walked down the hallway in robes, both looking totally chilled out. Dean scowled at them both.

“I can’t believe it,” Dean whispered back to Cas. “They lied about where they were going!” Cas leaned around the corner and gave him a fairly good impression of Sam’s bitch-face.

“And we were completely honest?” he asked. Dean scowled.

“I don’t know, it’s different,” he said. Cas gave him a long suffering look and shook his head.

“Well, they’re inside now,” he said. “Let’s go.” He reached down and grabbed Dean’s hand, not letting go as they walked around the corner. He pulled Dean into the room right next to the one Charlie and Hannah had gone into, which just made Dean more uncomfortable. He tried to ignore it while he looked around the room until he found his clothes and then moved towards them. At the same time, Cas shuffled over to his clothes and shed his robe. Dean caught sight of the curve of his ass and felt himself getting hard again. He turned away with a groan and pulled on his clothes as quickly as possible. By the time he was done, Cas was already standing by the door.

“Ready?” Dean asked. Cas gestured to himself as if to say _‘no shit, dumbass’._ Dean rolled his eyes. “Fine, let’s go.” They opened the door and almost walked out when they clearly heard laughter from Charlie and Hannah. Dean shoved the door shut again.

“Dean, it perhaps wouldn’t be the end of the world if they knew we were here,” Cas said, exasperated.

“No,” Dean said. “No way. I’ll never hear the end of it. For the rest of my life. Also, you want them knowing about us yet?” Cas shrugged.

“I don’t really see why that’s an issue,” he said. Dean threw his hands up into the air.

“Because then the whole week will be ‘Dean and Cas are fucking!’ jokes. And I’d like to avoid that!”

“Especially since the fucking hasn’t actually happened yet,” Cas said, expression flat. Dean’s mouth dropped open. That word coming out of Cas’s mouth sounded so inexplicably strange it took him a moment to regain control of himself.

“Right,” he said, sounding strangled. “So, check if the coast is clear.” Cas seemed to concede his point and pulled the door open gently, looking back and forth. He gave a gesture with his hand for Dean to come forward. They both walked out into the hallway and tiptoed as nonchalantly as they could away from the girls’ room.

“I just think I left my phone in the other room,” Charlie’s voice said, without warning. Dean grabbed Cas’s shirt and yanked him around the corner, which left them in the lobby. The receptionist at the desk gave them an odd look.

“Are you alright?” she asked. Dean attempted to give her a charming smile.

“Absolutely,” he said. “Thanks for the massage. Don’t feel remotely stressed now.” Cas gave him a sharp nudge to his ribs, which he winced at but didn’t cry out. They both shuffled backwards out of the lobby and took off down the hall, finally stopping at the end to catch their breath.

“That was close,” Cas said. Dean breathed.

“Damn close.” He was pushed, without warning, against the wall behind them as Cas attacked his mouth and then pulled away abruptly.

“Just thought you could use a reminder,” Cas said. Dean’s knees wavered.

“To the room, then,” he said, voice coming out high pitched. He followed swiftly behind Cas as the angel wound his way around the boat and got to their room. Cas shoved him up against the door and reached into Dean’s front pocket, never taking his eyes away from Dean’s. Dean let out a noise he would never admit to when Cas dug around a bit more than necessary to locate the room key and remove it. He leaned against Dean, pushing their bodies together, to unlock the door. Dean nearly fell back on his ass when the door was pushed open, but Cas caught him and then directed him, without stopping his trailing kisses down Dean’s neck, to the bed.

Dean reached behind himself to feel out where the mattress was so he didn’t end up tripping, but Cas knew what he was doing. He knew what he was doing inexplicably well. When they reached the bed, Dean was lifted slightly and then set down on the edge of the bed so that Cas could climb up after him, straddling his legs. Cas pulled Dean’s shirt over his head and tossed it off to the side and then returned to placing rough kisses along his collarbone and then down. Dean arched up against him and groaned when Cas gave the rigid skin of his nipple a light bite. He could feel Cas’s smile against his skin as the angel trailed his kisses lower and lower, until he was sucking marks into the skin of Dean’s hipbones.           

“Wearing too much clothing,” Dean grunted out. Cas tugged on Dean’s shorts with that same smile, pulling the fabric lower until Dean was wearing nothing but his boxers, which were straining terribly.

“Better?” Cas asked lowly.

“I meant you, jackass,” Dean chuckled, although the sound that came out sounded desperate more than anything else. Dean unhooked his arms from around Cas’s back and reached around to undo buttons on his shirt. It was the first time he actually regretted getting Cas the ridiculous fucking shirt, with all of those obscene flowers on the front. Way too many buttons. He growled with frustration on one in particular. He pushed Cas away slightly so that the angel sat back on his thighs more. With the better angle he was able to undo the button and pull Cas’s shirt off with a triumphant noise.

“There!” he said. He ripped the fabric off and pressed a kiss against Cas’s neck, back closer to his ear. Cas leaned his neck back with a heavy exhalation of air.

“Much better,” Cas said. And then came the perfect sensation of skin against skin and the world faded into a blissful blur.

 

* * *

 

 

“Wow,” Cas breathed into Dean’s ear. Dean chuckled. Their bodies were stretched so Cas laid on top of Dean heavily, still pressing lazy kisses to the underside of his jaw.

“Glad you enjoyed,” he murmured back. Cas groaned and rolled slightly so he was lying next to Dean, with one arm still wrapped over him. He pressed a kiss to Dean’s shoulder, where his handprint once was.

“I love you,” Cas whispered. Dean’s world stilled. He relished the feeling of Cas’s fingers tracing little shapes on his chest. The words sounded different here. The sounded like more when Cas whispered them into his ear, when he could feel the warm length of their bodies pressed together.

“Me too,” Dean said. The word was still too far out there for him to say aloud, but Cas seemed to understand. He continued to draw shapes onto Dean’s chest for a few minutes. “What are you drawing?” Dean whispered into Cas’s hair.

“My name,” Cas said. “In Enochian.” Dean chuckled lightly.

“Claiming me for yourself, Cas?” he asked. Cas lifted his head and smiled sheepishly. He was so beautiful this way. He was glowing, eyes shining, with that little smile on his face and his hair all messed up from Dean running his fingers through it. Dean’s heart skipped in his chest. He knew he was so far gone he was never coming back. He leaned down to kiss Cas again, caught up in how damn beautiful he looked here in Dean’s bed, when they heard the door jiggle and barely had enough time to pull a blanket up on themselves before Sam burst in.

“Oh, Dean!” he said. “Thank god!” He ran up to the bed, and to both Dean and Cas’s astonishment, sat down on the mattress and let his head fall into his hands. Cas could smell the alcohol coming off of him in wafts and grimaced.

“Uh, hi, Sammy,” Dean tried. He looked at Cas with wide eyes as though that said ‘ _what the fuck’_ , which Cas returned with a shrug of the shoulders. “What’s the matter?”

“Eva,” Sam said, tilting his head suddenly backward. He sounded mournfully sad and Dean rolled his eyes.

“What about her?” He was really trying not to think about the fact that Sam had just walked in on him and Cas actively in bed together. It seemed like Sam hadn’t really noticed yet. He just tried to slink away from Sam slightly so that space, and not just a thin blanket, separated them.

“She’s so cool and pretty and I really like her,” Sam cried out. Dean leaned up in the bed so he was sitting straight.

“And?” he asked impatiently.

“I don’t know, I just really like her,” Sam said. He turned to Dean earnestly, begging for help with just a look from those damn puppy dog eyes. “What should I do?” Cas cleared his throat. Sam turned to him. “Or you, Cas. What do you think I should do?”

“Um, Sam, if you like her why don’t you go tell her that?” Dean said. Sam looked at him and nodded slowly.

“But what if she doesn’t like me?” he said. Dean threw up his hands.

“Sam, what is this, fucking middle school?” he demanded. “If you like the damn woman, go tell her. Then get her as drunk as you and enjoy the damn cruise. I don’t know what to tell you!” Sam’s lip wiggled a bit and Dean’s frustrated stature collapsed.

“I’m sorry I bothered you,” Sam said, words coming out slurred. Dean sighed and gave Sam’s arm a light pat.

“You didn’t bother me,” he said. He felt Cas kick him under the blanket and made the grand effort not to slap him right back. “Just go talk her. Or get some sleep, you absolute fucking drunk.” Sam’s face broke into a smile and he fell on top of Dean, giving him a hug.

“You’re so awesome, Dean,” he said. Dean shoved his brother off of himself as quickly as he could, trying to minimize contact and make this conversation even a little bit less awkward for the sober people present. “I’m gonna go find her!” With that, Sam stood up and smacked his head on the ceiling. Both Dean and Cas recoiled in sympathy but Sam didn’t seem to notice much, just rubbed his head and then stumbled from the room, pulling the door shut behind him with a loud _smack._ Dean and Cas both let out an relieved exhale and collapsed back into the bed. Dean looked over at Cas and they both slowly smiled, the expressions growing wider and wider until they both burst into laughter. It was explosively loud, and Dean rolled over to lay on Cas as the laughs erupted from both of them. After over a minute, they both managed to calm down, deflating back to the point that they were just laying on each other.

“So,” Dean said with a sigh, “you want to get cleaned up?” Cas looked uncertain.

“But I’m so comfortable here,” he said. Dean chuckled again.

“Come on,” he said. He leaned up off of Cas’s form. “Shower is big enough for two.” At this, he grinned mischievously and Cas’s cheeks stretched into a smile.

“In that case,” the angel said. Dean grinned and pulled them off the bed and then into the bathroom. As soon as they got back home, he was going to send a personal letter to the cruise line to thank them for the size of their showers.

 

* * *

 

 

“So, how was that comedian?” Charlie asked at dinner.

“Huh?” was Dean’s initial response before his brain caught up. “Oh! Good. Excellent. Very funny… comedian that we saw.” Cas kicked him lightly under the table but when Dean turned to look at him he was serenely lifting a spoonful of soup to his mouth. Dean scowled internally.

“Did you both enjoy the internet bar?” Cas asked. Dean turned a smug eye to them but Charlie just nodded.

“Yeah, they have pretty decent tech in there considering this is a cruise ship,” Charlie said. “Got some much needed catch up info on the world. Plus I showed Hannah some pics from LARPing stuff.” Hannah nodded.

“It was very interesting,” she said emphatically. Dean narrowed his eyes but knew he couldn’t say anything without revealing their own secret plans of the day.

“And how was your day, Sam?” Charlie asked, turning to Sam at the end of the table. He continued to rub his eyes throughout the meal.

“I don’t really… remember?” he said. He looked over at Dean and Cas for a beat then shook his head, as if dismissing something. Dean’s stomach tensed until he felt Cas’s hand rest on his thigh to calm him. Really it just revved up his heartbeat, but it was the thought that counted. The day had been spent mainly in the bedroom for the two of them, and Dean didn’t know if he felt worn out or more energized than he had been in years. After a few hours, Sam had come into the room again (luckily, this time Dean and Cas were already in clothing) and collapsed without a word onto his bed, immediately falling asleep with a groan and a snore. He’d been so worried about making sure that Sammy got enough sleep he hadn’t woken him up for way more hours than he probably needed to, leaving dinner until late in the evening. Really a miracle Sam was there at all, but he had always bounced back fast. Not to mention they’d given him about three cups of coffee.

“Did you see your lady friend?” Dean asked, wiggling an eyebrow. Sam’s eyes narrowed in thought.

“I think so,” he said. His eyes widened incrementally. “Yeah, I’m pretty sure I saw her.”

“Oh, no,” Charlie chuckled at his expression. “Did it not go well?”

“I think I said something I shouldn’t have said,” Sam responded. He put his fingers to his head to massage the skin there, as if that would return a more clear memory of the day. He just winced.

“Let us know when it all comes back to you,” Charlie laughed. _And please let that be never,_ Dean thought. Dinner continued without a hitch for the rest of the evening, and there was even crème brulee – which was good, though not as good as the pie Dean had gotten with his dinner the night before. They all walked together back the rooms, talking amiably. Dean was still frustrated by how well Charlie and Hannah were playing off their lie from earlier. Although, now that he considered it, they had had plenty of time to hit the internet bar after leaving the spa. They hadn’t been quite as, well, occupied as Dean and Cas were. Too bad for them, really.

“Alright, this is where I check out,” Charlie said. She gave them a kind of half solute parting and walked away down the hall towards her door. The others waved back and then also split off their own ways. After Sam (still rubbing his eyes) and Hannah (looking like she was thinking very hard about something) returned to their rooms, Dean quickly pressed a kiss against Cas’s lips and whispered a soft goodnight against his mouth. Cas tangled his fingers in Dean’s and gave them a soft squeeze.

“Maybe I’ll see you later,” Dean said, raising an eyebrow. Cas swallowed and nodded.

“That would be nice,” he said thickly. Dean smiled, pressed in for another quick kiss, and then slipped into his room. He played getting ready for bed on Sam’s behalf. He didn’t try to pry his brother’s memory for the day, really preferring if the fuzzy memories never cleared. Instead he brought up a time from when they were kids and Bobby had taken them out fishing, marking what they thought was their last time ever on a boat.

“And look at us now,” Dean chuckled out in finishing the memory. Sam smiled lightly back and shook his head.

“This vacation seems like it’s really helped you out,” Sam said. Dean stiffened and looked at Sam, who shrugged. “You just seem lighter. Happier. It’s nice. Anyway, I’m turning in. There is this headache behind my eyes that won’t go away.” Dean shifted in place a bit.

“Yeah, you raging drunk, get some shut eye,” he said. Sam rolled his eyes and dropped onto his bed. He pulled the blanket up to his chin and muttered ‘goodnight’ before he was out like a light. Weirdest thing about Sam: years of hunting meant he could wake up in a blink, and yet he had this bizarre thing where he would sleep like the dead. Unless someone was actively screaming for help, Sam would sleep through a goddamn earthquake.

For the next hour, Dean padded around his room. He wanted to wait to make sure Sam was well and truly out, plus give Cas some time to get ready. He hoped his hint had been enough to get the angel to do a bit of prep work so that he could escape with Dean when the time came. For the hundredth time in an hour, Dean checked his watch, illuminating the tiny screen with the bathroom light. An hour had to be enough time. Sam wasn’t waking up for hours yet, but it was still way too early for Dean to nod off. It was like 11 pm, and he wasn’t a fucking pre-teen, whatever Hannah seemed to think. Dean took a long look in the mirror, trying to give himself a mini pep talk. Not that he needed it. This afternoon proved he was more than ready to have sex with Cas, but it was still weirdly new. Especially since this wasn’t a fuck-and-run situation. He actually cared. Cared a lot. He took a breath and released his grip on the sink, straightening his posture in the same moment.

“Alright, Winchester, just like high school,” he muttered to himself. Sneaking out in the middle of the night. He thought he was done with this, but apparently not. He was really missing the wide expanse of hallways and empty bedrooms available in the bunker right about now. He slipped out of his room as silently as possible, pulling the door closed behind him in agonizing slowness. If there was one thing he didn’t need it was Sammy waking up and catching him. Maybe he’d had enough to drink earlier to forget important details, but current time Sam had just enough alcohol in his system to ensure some questions Dean didn’t want to answer.

He made it out of the room successfully and punched the air quickly, before glancing around to make sure no one had actually seen him pulling that shit. A quick look told him he was in the clear. Alright, show time. Dean walked a few steps and stood in front of Cas and Hannah’s door. This was the point he had reached in the planning process. There were a few problems, granted. Like the fact that neither Hannah nor Cas slept, which meant they were both wide awake in there, and Hannah was sure to notice Cas sneaking out for an hour only to return smelling like sex in a broom cupboard. Problem two: Dean really had no idea where they were going. He just figured the ship was big enough it had to have some crannies to slip into. Dean ran his hands through his hair and stepped away from the door, where he began to pace.

 _Cool it, Winchester,_ Dean thought. _Take a walk. Just take a walk._ His walk took him down a couple of hallways, just to give himself some thinking time. He tried to work out what he was going to say to get Hannah out of the way. He was just looping back around to his room when he ran smack into someone, their bodies knocking together hard enough that Dean rocked backwards and took a breath at the sharp pain.

“Sorry,” he muttered. He looked up and his next words died on his lips when he saw a familiar face.

“Dean,” Hannah said. She looked scatterbrained. Dean cocked his head. “What are you doing up?” she continued.

“I could ask you the same question,” Dean said. She sighed at that.

“I don’t actually require sleep,” she said.

“Alright, then what are you doing out here?” Dean gestured to the hallway around them. Hannah shuffled her feet and blinked her eyes rapidly.

“I thought I heard something,” she said. Dean rolled his eyes. Just as bad at lying as Cas had been back in the day.

“Fine, don’t tell me,” Dean sighed. Hannah crossed her arms defensively.

“And what are you doing out here?” she demanded. Dean panicked and crossed his own arms to mirror her.

“I… also thought I heard something. Suspicious.” Dean raised an eyebrow. They both just stood there and looked at each other in silence for a few seconds, the awkward tension slowly rising before Dean started shifting his weight from foot to foot. He dropped his arms from their crossed position and, in a bid for escape, yawned widely, arms reaching high above him in a stretch.

“Well, better get to bed,” he muttered. Hannah just tightened her crossed arms.

“Of course,” she said. “Now that we both know we heard nothing.”

“Obviously,” Dean said. They were silent again until Dean finally forced himself to move, surging forward towards his door. “Well, goodnight, Hannah!” He purposely said it too loud to make sure Cas would hear him inside. Although he had probably listened to their whole conversation as it was. Hannah backtracked back to her own door and put a hand on it. She watched Dean without moving. They both turned their knobs at the same time and pushed the doors inwards. They kept their eyes on each other until both were inside. Dean just assumed he would wait for a moment and then go back outside but when he leaned out again, he caught Hannah doing the same thing and both of their heads retreated with a snap and a slammed door. Dean swore. So much for his high school sneak out plan.

And what the hell was Hannah doing? He thought about where he had found the angel, busy wandering in the middle of the night. What had she been doing that she wouldn’t tell Dean? _Wait, was she walking towards Charlie’s room?_ Dean thought. He considered it for a minute, then shook his head. _Nah, no way._ He exhaled loudly and peeled off his shirt before collapsing in bed. At least tomorrow was another day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments? What do you all think?


	7. Day 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Maybe not the most productive way of finding a vampire, sure, but possibly a good way to spend a day on vacation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is my favorite chapter for Charlie and Hannah so I hope you all enjoy. Next chapter will be my favorite Sam chapter. Can't even tell you how excited I am. Enjoy!

Dean eyed the animal in front of him dubiously. The mechanics were easy enough to figure out. Sit on the back, lead with the reigns. Actually, not even that. Leading the damn thing didn’t even enter into the equation when they were trained to just follow the ass of the one in front of them. And he had managed the steering situation at least once before. Still, Dean was pretty sold on the idea of cars being the only reliable method of travel. And he was becoming partial to cruise ships. But this was a horse.

“Alright, everyone up!” a voice called. The woman who led their tour had a Spanish accented voice that carried. She had dark skin and her black hair was tied up behind her and hidden under a hat. Her name was Sophie and Dean knew right off that she was a take-no-shits kind of woman. She was skilled with the cruise ship crowd, only there for the experience of being able to come home and say, ‘oh, Judy, you won’t believe it. Greg and I rode _horses_ while we were there! Straight through the mountains. So beautiful you wouldn’t even believe it’. Dean knew the type, he’d dealt with the type. And so had Sophie.

With another hesitant look at the horse in front of him, Dean reached and grabbed onto the saddle, pulling himself up in a swift move. Huh, not as bad as he thought. He settled in on the saddle, getting a feel for it. The horse beneath him made a huffing noise and tottered back and forth between his hooves but, like Sophie, this horse knew his job. He knew the people he was dealing with.

“Steady, buddy,” Dean murmured. He gave the horse’s neck a light pat and exhaled. He remembered Cas and strained to turn around so he could get a look at the ridiculous events about to unfold. He was, unfortunately, let down. Where he had expected to see Cas still staring at his own horse, the angel was perched in his saddle with confidence. He even gave a click of his tongue and urged the horse forward, coming to a stop right beside Dean.

“My horse is very gentle,” Cas said. The horse, like he had heard the praise, whinnied. Dean rolled his eyes.

“Should have known you would take to this somehow,” he said. Cas’s lips curled upwards on the edges of his mouth.

“Were you expecting me to fall?”

“At least once or twice,” Dean replied with an exaggerated nod. Cas considered this for a minute, then gave another tongue click and his horse turned away and began to trot towards the others, but not before the thing whipped its tail upwards and smacked Dean’s arm. Dean hissed in a breath in surprise at both the sudden move and the fact that horse hair was stronger than he had expected. He glared at the back of Cas’s head and could feel the angel smiling smugly without even seeing his face.

“Let’s go, bud,” Dean sighed down to his horse. The animal was easily led away from the post he had been tied to and Dean led him towards the others, who were barely finding their seats. Like Cas, Hannah seemed to take to the task easily. Dean started to wonder if maybe it was an angel thing. They were probably cheating or something. Yeah, definitely.

Then there was Sam. The sasquatch was about a foot too tall for his horse. The people in charge of the animals had even made the attempt to find them the biggest horse available, but Dean still felt for the poor thing. Sam looked even sorrier for the horse than Dean felt. He kept asking people who walked by ‘are you sure I’m not hurting him?’ and ‘I can stay behind, it’s really fine’, but every time he would be assured that, sir, the horse was fine. Dean chuckled to himself at the visual of Sam, sitting on top of a horse, trying to shrink himself down as much as possible. It was so ridiculous looking it was like a damn cartoon. Dean quickly pulled his phone from his pocket and snapped a picture, which was made even better by the fact that Sam had seen the camera and pulled an excellent bitch-face just in time for the picture to snap.

“I’ll treasure this always, Sammy,” Dean called, as he was still coming closer. The only one left not on a horse was Charlie, but she was going to be fine. Dean glanced over to the redhead to confirm only to realize just how wrong he was. She pulled herself onto the horse uncertainly, but once there it all went downhill. First, she couldn’t get her feet into the stirrups, then the horse bucked beneath her, then began trotting without Charlie being able to get her footing.

“Charlie!” Hannah called. She clicked her tongue and attempted to get closer to the pair. She kept saying words calmly towards the horse that were in a language Dean didn’t understand. After a couple more phrases he realized it was Enochian. Charlie’s horse seemed to calm from the words, but Charlie looked shaken. Her hair was standing on end, and her eyes were stretched wide open. Hannah leaned forward to talk to her, putting a hand on her shoulder, but Dean couldn’t hear what they said.

“I knew you had a way to cheat,” Dean muttered to Cas. Cas just kept his self-satisfied smile on his lips and shrugged.

“Is everyone ready?” Sophie called. They were in a group with five other people, all of whom Dean thought had come from the ship just like they had. There was a pair of newlyweds who weren’t really paying attention to anyone else, and then a small family with middle-aged parents and a disgruntled looking teenage boy. Dean chuckled at how put-out he looked. He should get Sam to team up with the poor kid.

At the front of the team, Sophie whistled and the horses moved out. Dean let the small family group go in front of him, then he followed, with Cas close behind. As soon as they left the more dry clearing of horses, the forested parts of the mountain closed in around them. Large trees trailed up to the sky, some palms and some others that Dean didn’t know by sight. The ground was the opposite. Instead of the bright greenery, it was mainly dirt and rock interspersed with small puddles and ponds. The occasional green fern bushes along the rocks lightly touched the horses’ legs as they passed, leaving little droplets of water. It wasn’t anything Dean had ever expected, but it was irresistibly beautiful.

He turned around and smiled at Cas, who was too busy looking around with an expression of utter peace painted across his face to see Dean. The angel breathed in deeply and then let it out as he drew his eyes from tree to tree. As they passed one large tree in particular, Cas reached out and trailed his finger carefully on a small, pink bloom growing off a tree branch. Dean knew he probably looked like a love-struck asshole, but he didn’t care at that particular moment. Not when Cas looked so entirely captivated and happy. He finally caught Cas’s eye and the angel’s face broke into a wide grin, stretching even the tiny laugh lines by his eyes. They came up to a small stream that allowed Cas to come up and ride side by side near Dean for a few minutes.

“Beautiful,” Dean whispered to Cas, once he was near enough. Cas nodded thoughtfully, still captivated by the landscape around them.

“It really is,” he said. The corner of Dean’s mouth tilted up in a smile.

“I didn’t mean the trees,” he said. Cas looked down to meet Dean’s eyes and a faint blush crept up his cheeks. He looked down and they rode in silence until the path thinned again and Cas had to return to his original riding place just behind Dean.

 

* * *

 

 

Charlie was going to fucking murder whoever said that horseback riding was a good way to spend the day. They couldn’t just spend some more hours at a new beach? Appreciate all the beach stops, that was what Charlie thought would be a good idea. After all, there were ten goddamn people on this trail. What were the chances that one of them was a vampire? That’s right – zilch. This opinion probably had nothing to do with the fact that, as it turned out, Charlie was _terrible_ at riding horses.

It shouldn’t even be hard. These were trained horses. Tourists clumsily climb up and then the horse does the rest. Sophie had assured them of this. But Charlie must have had some kind of malfunctioning horse. Hannah had smiled when she said this out loud and then just shaken her head and informed Charlie that there was nothing wrong with the creature. And, also, that the horse’s name was Angelica. It might help if Charlie called her horse by her name. Charlie liked that idea until they got to a stream they had to cross and the horse flipped shit. Charlie followed everyone else carefully, just focusing on moving as little as possible, and then the horse ran off in one direction and started jumping or bucking or whatever right there in the water, getting Charlie soaked. Only Hannah had been able to come and calm the horse, leading it back to the trail with a bitten down smile on her face.

Hell, Hannah was such a natural that Sophie had asked her to keep an eye on things near the back of the line. Be her extra set of eyes. Hannah had smiled proudly at the request and practically preened under Sophie’s praise, which shouldn’t have bothered Charlie as much as it did. So just kept moving forward, soaking wet in her saddle. Even Sam, in a constant state of trying to make himself shrink, seemed to feel sorry for her.

They went up over a hill and through a set of trees with particularly wide branches, so Charlie couldn’t see the path in front of them until she broke through and carefully tried to stop next to Hannah. She suspected the angel had something to do with the fact that Angelica stopped so easily this time, as opposed to the time when she had smacked Charlie through a heavy set of ferny leaves full of water. What the fuck was that about, Angelica?

The point was, Charlie could see the trail before her like a death warrant. This was as good as finding a Grim in her tea. This was the end. Before her, across a much more open expanse of greenery, was a series of white bridges. They were wooden and it was immediately noticeable that they were aged, used many times over the past few years. There were four that Charlie could count, crisscrossing back and forth. She gulped thickly.

“Don’t worry, these bridges are entirely safe,” Sophie called from the front. “Just take them slow. Our sweet horses know very well how to navigate, so just trust them.” With that, Sophie turned in her saddle and moved towards the first platform.

“’Just trust them’,” Charlie imitated in a hiss. Hannah leveled a disapproving look at her.

“I think we should put our faith in Sophie,” Hannah said. “She is more experienced than we are.” With that, she gave her horse a quick nudge with her heels and moved towards the group. Charlie stomach was twisted up. First the damn horse, then Hannah being all taken with Sophie. They could have just gone to the beach but _no._ The only thing that helped even a bit was that, before Charlie continued forward with the group, she looked back at Sam who looked at the bridges like they might swallow him whole. Charlie huffed a semi-laugh. For saving the world as frequently as he did, Sam was just _not_ the kind of guy who could handle new obstacles thrown his way.

By the time Charlie made it up to the first bridge, which involved urging Angelica up an inclined slop until they made it to the bridge base, she felt like throwing up. Hannah had already finished crossing, but she waited at the other side with a smile and held out her hand to beckon Charlie forward.

“You’ll be fine, Charlie,” Sam said from behind her. He was already grumpy due to the fact that this was his first day so far on the trip without alcohol. Charlie was sure that would be remedied later.

“Right, I’ll be fine,” she said. Sam chuckled at her tense, sarcastic tone.

"Seriously, Charlie,” he said. “You’ve literally taken on monsters – actual evil things from hell or worse – you’ll get across a bridge that is ten feet off the ground.” Charlie drew her eyebrows together and nodded. She took a deep breath, focused on Hannah on the other side of the bridge, and gave Angelica a nudge. Her next memory was leading her horse carefully down another incline and towards the next bridge. Hannah’s horse ambled along next to her.

“You were just fine,” she said. Charlie tried not to feel like she was being talked down to, but it felt like everyone was judging her. At the end of the hellish experience, Charlie’s muscles were wound up like taught springs. Her head was pulsing slightly and her hands hurt from their stiff grip on the reigns. But she was over. It was done. Until they had to go back.

“Alright, we’re almost there,” Sophie called from the front. “From this point, we need to walk. Our horses can’t get us up this little hill.” _Oh, thank God,_ Charlie thought. She rapidly dismounted the horse and tied her off to a tree, following Hannah’s exact movements. The group of them all climbed up the rocky hill together, finding footholds on rocks. At the top, Hannah stopped and reached behind her to give Charlie a steady hand to pull herself up. Charlie took it gratefully. And then stopped to look around.

It was breathtaking. Sure, the trees and plants and quaint rocky streams on the way here had been nice, but this was a damn travel magazine. About a hundred feet in front of them, just down a few rocks, was a large pool which was being fed by a tremendously thundering waterfall. Charlie didn’t know how she hadn’t noticed the noise earlier. Probably she had attributed it to her head pounding and moved on. The pool was sky colored on the edges but faded into a murky blue-green as it went deeper. Little buds of plant life surrounded it entirely. For a few moments, she was captivated.

Sophie left them to do whatever the groups pleased, giving them plenty of time to look around the area, and to feely enjoy the pool. There was a reason Charlie had worn her swimsuit, sure, but when the guide said there was a pool to swim in she wasn’t picturing something she once saw in National fucking Geographic.

“It is incredible,” Hannah breathed. Charlie grinned at her, all insecurities from the trip up melting away.

“Want to swim?” she asked, excitedly. Hannah turned to her and a smile stretched across her face. Without another word, Charlie grabbed her hand and led her down the rocks. At one huge rock, they stopped to remove the light shirts and then the jeans they had worn so they stood in nothing but their swimsuits. Together they climbed down from the rock and moved towards the water. They stopped just short of the water’s edge. The married couple from the group passed them by and sunk into the pool, immediately floating towards a spot near the wall and kissing deeply. Charlie didn’t even care enough to roll her eyes.

“Ready?” she asked. Hannah grabbed her hand again. Charlie looked over at her and they shared a smile.

“Ready,” Hannah said. They both ran into the water, laughing hard. It was cool, but not unbearable. It wasn’t mossy like the color suggested, just clean and cool against their skin. They got as close to the waterfall’s crashing downpour as they dared and then circled around it until they were in the caved area behind it all. Hannah didn’t let Charlie’s hand go, so she didn’t pull away.

“I’m really glad you came,” Charlie said. Hannah looked at her and smiled.

“Me too,” she said. “This adventure is… so much better than I could have imagined.” Charlie laughed.

“Is it an adventure?” she asked. Hannah ducked her head.

“I think it is a better adventure than many other journeys that are described with that word,” Hannah said. Charlie bit her lip. She looked at Hannah, the way her head was tilted back now to see the top of the waterfall, so little droplets of water trailed down her exposed neck. Her hair was partially wet and wild from splashing through the water and she had a smile that curved her lips so gently upwards. Charlie sucked in a breath at the sight. After a few beats, Hannah looked down to meet Charlie’s eyes. She tilted her head at Charlie’s expression.

“What is it?” she asked in a hushed tone. Charlie didn’t know why she whispered, but she didn’t question it. It felt right to whisper at the back of this rocky cave with the loud sound of the crashing water in front of them. Charlie could feel it pulling slightly at her legs beneath the water. And she could feel something else pulling at her skin, at her whole body. Hannah’s eyes widened when Charlie leaned closer and closer, until finally she moved the last inch forward and pressed her lips against Hannah’s.

The angel sucked in a breath, but didn’t pull away. She lifted a hand up to Charlie’s face and carefully tried to return the kiss. It was too quick. Begun and ended in the same moment. But Charlie pulled away and bit her lip nervously as she looked at Hannah. She could feel the angel’s breath against her face. Hannah’s eyes were wide and her lips remained parted. They looked slick, but that easily could have been from the splashing water that surrounded them. Charlie didn’t know what to do but look at Hannah, willing her to respond.

The angel had never dropped her hand from Charlie’s face, just used her thumb to rub a line across her cheek softly. Charlie leaned into the touch and Hannah’s lips curled into a smile.

“I think,” she said, leaning in to give Charlie another quick peck on the lips. “That this could be part of a very special adventure.”

 

* * *

 

 

Almost as soon as they climbed up to the waterfall, Dean dragged Cas off into the trees. He had to admit the sight of the waterfall was incredible. It was, honestly. And he saw Charlie and Hannah immediately run off to enjoy the water. Sam just settled down on one of the rocks and pulled out his lunch, looking content to observe. Maybe Dean would push him in later, make his little brother ride all the way back with wet pants. But for the time being he pushed those plans aside and hauled Cas roughly by the collar into the hidden tree line. Cas grunted but put up no fight, allowing himself to be pulled away.

As soon as they were out of the eye line of the rest of the riders, Dean pushed Cas against a tree and heavily leaned into him, pressing a deep kiss against his lips and licking into the angel’s mouth almost immediately. Cas groaned appreciatively and reached one hand around the back of Dean’s head to pull at the scruff of hair at the back of his neck. How Cas had worked out so quickly that that was one of Dean’s weak spots he would never know, but he leaned back into the touch with a soft moan as soon as Cas grabbed on.

For a few minutes, they just needlessly pawed at each other, which was really all they could do in the trees in the mountains, but Dean would take whatever he could get. Not that Dean didn’t give Cas plenty to be happy about. He may not be perfect at blow jobs, but it wasn’t an unexplored area for him.

Dean stood up with a smug smile on his face and wiped his mouth with his hand. Cas’s pupils were blown wide when he looked back at the hunter. Dean moved in and kissed him languidly, taking his time. He didn’t know how long they stood like that, leaned up against the tree and enjoying the taste of one another, but eventually they heard a shout from back near the horses that alerted them to the fact that they needed to return. Dean drew away from Cas reluctantly. Cas’s hair was rumpled up impossibly, sticking up especially where Dean had been toying with it. Dean knew his hair couldn’t look much better. Aside from that, Cas looked ruffled and, well, he sort of _exuded_ sex. His lips were pink and wet and plump. Pulling his pants up had only sort of helped, and Dean knew his own knees were covered in leaves and bits of dirt from the forested floor. But looking at Cas, all roughed up and happy and wonderful… it kind of made Dean forget to care.

“Do we have to go back?” Dean almost whined. Cas leaned in and kissed a spot underneath Dean’s ear before he whispered.

“I wish we didn’t.” Dean shivered at the gruff voice and very nearly pulled Cas against him again, but resisted. He looked at Cas reluctantly and the angel smiled at him. “Come on, Dean. Let’s get back.” Cas reached out his hand and Dean grabbed onto it, slightly surprised.

“I haven’t held someone’s hand in a damn long time,” he said with a hollow kind of laugh. Cas gave his fingers a light squeeze and brought their clasped hands up to his mouth so he could press a kiss into Dean’s knuckles.

“Ready?” he murmured into Dean’s hand. Dean chuckled and then groaned, playfully pulling his hand away from Cas’s mouth.

“You’re fucking impossible, you know that?” Dean said. Cas just smiled as they walked back to the waterfall. As they emerged from the trees, Cas let go of Dean’s hand without making a big deal out it, but still walked close to Dean’s side. Dean saw Sophie look at them with a raised eyebrow and he blushed. But when they got back to Sam, he said nothing, just offered each of them an apple.

“They’re actually really good,” Sam said, biting into one of his own. Dean took one grudgingly and took a bite. In all honesty, he had to admit it _was_ pretty damn good. But Sam didn’t need to know that. He made a face but didn’t give the apple back and Sam rolled his eyes grandly.

“Where are Charlie and Hannah?” Dean asked around the mouthful of apple. Sam looked up and squinted across the water, then pointed.

“There they are,” he said. Dean looked over and saw a red head and a brunette head bob around the waterfall. They got closer until Dean could more easily distinguish their faces. They were both biting down grins. In the time it took for them both to swim back onshore, Dean and Cas had taken a seat near Sam and were both appreciating the beautiful view.

“Hey, you two!” Dean called. Charlie and Hannah froze. Dean grabbed his phone from his pocket and stood up, climbing down to them. “Picture?” He held up his phone and shook it. Charlie’s smile, which she had worn since Dean had seen her face come into focus, grew a little bit more. She pulled Hannah in close to her, leaning their heads together and Dean shook his head at them fondly.

“Make sure you get the waterfall!” Cas called from above them on the rocks. Dean obligingly took a step backwards so the frame of the camera was wider.

“Alright, smile!” Dean called. Charlie’s grin was radiant and Hannah practically glowed. All said and done, it was a damn fine picture. Dean whistled when he checked out the shot.

“Hey!” Charlie said, coming up out of the water, “what did I say about looking at the pictures before the vacation was over?” Dean held his arms up in surrender.

“Sorry, just wanted to make sure it turned out,” he said. Hannah looked up at him, trying to squirrel away a smile that just wasn’t dying.

“Did it turn out nicely?” she asked. Charlie threw up her hands.

“Does no one respect the vacation picture rule?” She shook her head, but still smiled when she brushed Hannah’s arm with her fingertips and walked away to dry off. Dean winked at Hannah.

“It turned out great,” he said. She nodded and walked off after Charlie.

“Thank you,” she said. When she walked past Cas, he stopped her with a hand to look in her eyes.

“You seem happy,” he murmured to her. Hannah glanced ahead and then behind her to make sure the others were out of ear shot.

“Very,” she whispered back. A toothy grin cracked her face and she ducked her head. Cas breathed a soft laugh.

“Good,” he said. “It’s good to be happy.”

“Thank you for insisting I see that,” Hannah said. Charlie called out her name and she looked up, the smile frozen across her face. “I should go.” Cas nodded, one side of his mouth tilted upwards. He looked towards Dean.

“I understand,” when he looked back, Hannah raised an eyebrow at him. He felt his cheeks redden but she walked away without saying another word.

“I can’t believe you didn’t even take a dip,” Charlie said to Sam as Hannah came up on them both. Sam shrugged.

“Not a big swimmer,” he said. “There was this thing. Lake monster. Kinda put me off the whole secluded deep pool thing for a while.”

“Oh, yeah, I remember that one,” Charlie said. Sam squinted in confusion and then his face sank into an annoyed expression. “Towel?” Charlie asked as Hannah got closer. She ignored Sam’s face outright.

“Yes, thank you,” Hannah said. She took the cotton towel and dried herself off and then slid her jeans back on over her swim bottoms.

“Let’s head back!” Sophie called. The newlywed couple held hands and continued to look into each other’s eyes as they walked back to the downward slope that led to the horses. The little family picked up their lunch and also headed back, the teenage boy looking happier than he had all morning. Maybe the fresh air had _actually_ helped.

Back near the horses, everyone broke off individually to remount. In front of her own horse Charlie froze and that horrible feeling sunk back down into the pit of her stomach. She’d been so happy for the past hour she’d forgotten how they got up there in the first place. In the space of a breath, a warm body sidled up to her and clasped her hand softly.

“You’ll be fine,” Hannah said quietly. “I’ll make sure.” Charlie smiled and squeezed her hand. Hannah released her and disappeared as quickly as she had arrived, sliding onto her horse’s back. Charlie took a breath and mounted her horse, settling her feet into the stirrups with a determined shove. She looked up to see Hannah smiling at her. Yeah, she could do this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments? How am I doing?


	8. Day 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Remember when people were supposed to be hunting vampires? Yeah that totally didn't happen again. But waterslides and drunkenness definitely happened instead!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those who mentioned being pleased with drunk Sam, this is the chapter for you.

Dean swept through the buffet and quickly grabbed a full bunch of bananas, ignoring the pointed look that one of the cruise staff gave him. He just waved jovially and left the buffet quickly. He snagged one of the bananas and unpeeled it while the rest of the bunch was stuffed under his arm. Back on deck, he found the others. Sam, Charlie, and Hannah were laying out across the chairs by the pool, sunbathing. Charlie and Hannah were each wearing wide-brim hats and huge, round sunglasses. They both had a curved cup of piña colada in one hand. To Dean, at least, they looked incredibly cool. Like they belonged. He was honestly impressed with how nonchalantly, well, fabulous they looked.

Sam, on the other hand, looked very out of place. He was wearing swim trunks and a light, green shirt. He also had his own hat on. It was a little straw thing with a semi-wide brim that looked a little too much like a fedora for Dean’s tastes. Fedoras, in Dean’s opinion, could be worn by old movie stars and Indiana Jones. End of list. Plus, it just made Sam look like a total douche. But that was his brother for you. Sam had his own drink in his hand, but it was non-alcoholic at the fervent request of all other cruise goers.

Cas was sat down by the actual pool. His legs dangled in the clear water and he had his head leaned back to soak up some sun. Still in his hideous Hawaiian shirt. This one was orange, bright fucking orange, with huge flowers trailing down the front in lines. Had Dean known he was going to end his vacation as this guy’s, well, _boyfriend,_ he might have tried to pick out slightly less tacky shirts. But hey, what’s done is done.

“Who wants a banana?” Dean asked as he walked to stand in front of the others. Charlie and Hannah lifted their sunglasses up simultaneously to look at him.

“Sure,” Charlie said.

“I’ll take one,” Hannah said, at the same time. Dean peeled two yellow fruits off the bunch and handed one each to the girls.

“Here you are, ladies,” he said sweetly. Charlie rolled her eyes and they both peeled their bananas and began eating. They each still held onto their drinks with one hand and maintained the level of incredible looking. “Sam?” Dean asked. His brother shook himself and sat up, his hat falling off.

“Sorry, I think I dozed,” he muttered. He took the banana Dean offered.

“Some potassium for you, then,” Dean said. Sam offered him a grateful smile. Dean quickly took a seat next to Cas and dipped his own feet in the water. He held out the last banana to Cas, who took it with a smile. Charlie sighed deeply

"This is amazing,” she said. “I mean, yesterday was fun, but horses aren’t really my thing. This? This I could get used to.” Dean chuckled.

“Oh, hell yeah,” he said. “If I had a drink I would toast to poolside sitting.” Before the words had finished leaving his mouth, a yellow drink was in front of him. Cas held it out towards him and Dean took it from his hand. “Oh. Thanks.”

“Anytime,” Cas said. When Dean glanced back at Charlie she was smirking. He rolled his eyes.

“Alright, fine,” he said. “To sitting on our asses by the pool for once in our lives.” He raised his glass and the others followed suit. Charlie and Hannah clinked their glasses, and Cas’s own glass appeared out of nowhere to knock against Dean’s.

“Hear, hear,” Sam agreed fervently. He took a swallow of his drink, then looked down reluctantly as though just remembering it was nothing but ice, coconut milk, and pineapple juice.

“Have you guys been keeping an eye out?” Dean asked. Charlie snorted.

"You mean for a vampire in broad daylight?” she asked. Dean sighed.

“Yes, for that.”

“Look, Dean,” Sam said, “I know vamps _can_ be out here, but I doubt that sunbathing is really their ideal day-to-day activity.”

“You have another idea?” Dean grumped. There was a long silence. Dean smiled smugly. “Yeah, that’s what I thought.” He could practically _hear_ Sam’s scowl. For a while, they just lounged by the pool. Little by little, Dean’s hand inched closer to Cas’s until they were overlapping just barely, the light touch of fingers on fingers. It was just enough for them both.

“Can I ask a question?” Charlie asked after a while. Everyone turned to look at her. “When was the last time any of you swam in a pool?” There was a universal silence.

“I have never,” Hannah said.

“Nor I,” Cas said.

“Well, I kinda figured that,” Charlie admitted. “But what about you two? I mean, I don’t get out a _ton,_ but I think I’ve got a better track record than the two of you.” Dean blew out some air while he thought.

“Not since we were kids,” he said. He looked to Sam for support, and Sam nodded.

“Yeah, definitely since then,” Sam agreed.

“I think I was, what, fifteen?” Dean said.

“Oh, yeah!” Sam sat forward in his chair. “I actually remember that. Dad dropped us off at that place, the really shitty one.”

“And I said I felt iffy about the place, which Dad obviously told me to shut the hell up for,” Dean supplied. “But after he left, I hustled a little money from some preppy kids out behind the local high school and got us a room at a less sketchy place. But this place, this place had a _pool._ ” Sam looked at him with a tilted head.

“I didn’t know you had to hustle the money,” he said. Dean shrugged.

"Not like Dad was gonna spring for a presidential suite, Sammy,” he said. “Anyway, we sleep in this room that doesn’t smell like old beer and feet. And then the next day we hung out at the pool all day. Sprung us some stuff from the vending machine. Pretty good day, if I remember.” Sam smiled softly.

“Yeah, good day,” he said.

“And that was seriously the last time?” Charlie asked. When both brothers nodded she shook her head. “Holy shit, you guys. Please, for the love of god, at some point today you have to swim.” Dean turned to Cas, who was looking at him with a slightly sad expression but Dean shrugged them both off.

“Or,” he said, standing up and shaking water off his legs, “I could go take advantage of the unlimited ice cream machine I saw on my way out here. Cas? Care to join me?” The angel readily stood up and followed Dean dutifully away.

“I can’t believe those two,” Charlie said, once they were gone. Sam sighed.

“Right? You haven’t endured nearly as much, I promise you,” he said. He had a longsuffering expression on his face and Charlie laughed.

"You see it, Hannah? Right?” Hannah sipped her drink.

“That they are entirely devoted to each other? Of course,” she said. “All of the angels are aware of Castiel’s attachment to Dean.” Sam sat up in his chair abruptly.

“I knew it!” he said. “All those angels making jokes about how much in love they are. Dean just said they were trying to rile him up, but you spend longer than two damn minutes with them and you can tell.” Hannah sighed loudly and nearly rolled her eyes. Sam recognized the expression as one he had pulled himself. He pictured Dean’s ridiculous pining for Cas and thought that maybe Hannah had probably had some similar experiences.

“You think they’ll figure it out?” Charlie asked. Sam huffed.

“Yeah, right,” he said. “As emotionally constipated as they are? I’ve been trying for _years_ to get them to get their shit together No, they got a while before they work it out.” Charlie chuckled in agreement. Hannah just sipped her drink.

“So, speaking of emotional constipation, how’s Eva?” Charlie asked. Sam’s mouth clamped shut with an audible click. He sat back in his chair.

"Nothing really,” he said.

“It doesn’t seem like nothing,” Hannah said seriously. Sam turned to glare at Charlie, like it was somehow her fault that Hannah was taking after her. Although, hey, it probably was.

“Well, it is. Nothing. It’s nothing.” Sam crossed his arms. Charlie glared at him obstinately.

“I’m planning on staring at you until you say something, you know,” she said. They sat like that for a few seconds, Sam with his arms crossed like a child while Charlie stared at him, eyes wide. Finally, Sam threw his arms out, exasperated.

“I don’t know!” he said. “She’s cool! And I can’t seem to talk to her unless I’m drunk. And I think I might really like her, ok? We done talking like twelve-year-old girls?” Charlie snorted.

“I thought Dean was the one who was against having what he would label ‘chick’ conversations,” she said. Sam rolled his eyes.

“Oh, please, like you buy that bullshit,” he said. Charlie swallowed a laugh.

“I don’t know, Sam,” she said. “I think you should take a chance. Talk to her.” Sam didn’t say anything so Charlie left him alone, just in time for Dean and Cas to wander back with mostly eaten ice cream cones. Cas was licking his primly, but Dean had ice cream in various places around his mouth, and had a spot on his nose. Sam shook his head, but a fond smile was snaking across his lips.

“Damn good ice cream,” Dean said, pointing at his cone.

“The rest of your face enjoying it too?” Charlie asked. Dean shoved the remainder of the cone into his mouth in one bite and chewed contentedly. After he swallowed, he licked around his mouth and smiled.

“Matter of fact, it is,” he said. To their left, there was a loud scream followed by a splash. Everyone turned abruptly but it turned out to be a girl who looked about ten coming in off the large wrapping waterslide. They all shook themselves and turned back to their conversation when Charlie made a humming noise.

“What?” Hannah said. Charlie looked over at the slide and then back to the group. She smiled slyly.

“I have an idea,” she said.

 

* * *

 

At the top platform of the waterslide, the others began to lose their nerve. Dean cracked first as he stared down from their lofty position. Below them there were sounds of screaming, laughing, and light, happy music. The longer Dean looked, the further away it all felt.

“You know, I think this is a bad idea probably,” he said, trying not to sound like he was scared shitless.

“Would you calm down?” Charlie waved him off. “It’s a waterslide, not a trapdoor to hell. Oh, sorry.” Charlie shifted uncomfortably under the glaring eyes of the rest of the group. “Still, you’ve actually, you know, _been_ to hell. This is a waterslide. For children.”

“Is this going to be like flying?” Cas asked. When everyone looked at him and Hannah raised a comical eyebrow, he cleared his throat. “I mean, will it be like flying in an airplane?” Charlie chuckled.

“No, Cas, it won’t be anything like a plane,” she said. “Dean, that help you out at all?” He scowled at her.

“I shouldn’t be in the water, anyway!” he said, throwing his arms out. “You’re not supposed to swim until an hour after you eat.” Sam snorted and rolled his eyes.

“That’s an old wives tale,” he said. “At best.”

“Actually it isn’t,” Hannah spoke up. Sam’s jaw clamped shut and he tilted his head slightly at her. “It was actually a problem for the early settlers. In certain bodies of water, they would wade in shortly after eating and would get sucked down. So it became a rule not to eat before entering the lake.”

“Was there actually a monster?” Charlie said in a hushed voice. Hannah shrugged.

“In some bodies of water, yes,” she said. They all heard Charlie gulp. “But they died out years ago. And even if they didn’t,” she looked over the side of the platform at the pool below, “well, I don’t think we have to worry in the case of this particular body of water.” She reached her hands in front of her and clasped them together, signaling the end of her talking.

“Thank you, Hannah,” Charlie said. “That was, um, informative.”

“Yeah, I didn’t know about that,” Sam said. His eyes were a bit wide as he looked down at the beamed platform floor in thought.

“Doesn’t change a thing for us, though,” Charlie said. She clapped her hands together. “Down the slide we go! Sam, you first.” Sam looked up abruptly. Dean could see the wince in his eyes as he stepped reluctantly forward.

“Alright, fine,” he muttered. The life guard at the top of the slide rolled her eyes as if to say ‘ _about fucking time’_ and Sam took his spot. He stepped into the running water that was pushing down the red plastic of the slide. He rolled his toes a couple of times, and adjusted his grip on the metal bar that ran across the top of the slide’s entrance.

“Enjoy, Sammy,” Dean said, voice coming out more wobbly than he intended. Sam turned to glare at him and then gave him the finger. And abruptly, he was gone, shooting down the slide. They all ran to the side and, after a few more seconds, saw his huge body spill out the bottom. Dean gulped.

“I’ll go next,” Cas muttered. He walked past Dean, quickly brushing a hand across his arm before standing the same place Sam had, and then shooting out of existence and down the slide.

“That means you’re up, Winchester,” Charlie said. Dean stood his ground.

“Why not you?” he demanded. Charlie locked eyes with Hannah and they shared a nod. Before he knew what was happening, the girls ambushed him on either side and escorted him to the slide’s entrance.           

“Because I have to make sure you go down,” Charlie grunted. As soon as Dean’s feet touched the water, he full-body winced. Hannah and Charlie kept their grips tight. “Sam would never let you live this down if you don’t go. Fuck, Dean, _I_ wouldn’t let you live this down.” Dean glared at her and took a breath. He shook off the girls and then shuddered.

“Here goes nothing,” he said. Charlie gave him a thumbs up and he was off. Charlie just laughed as she heard his scream echoing off the walls of the slide all the way down to the bottom.

“You ready?” Charlie asked.

“You go first,” Hannah said. Charlie quirked her head and Hannah smiled. “I want you to be waiting for me at the bottom.” Charlie blushed and leaned forward, grabbing a quick kiss from Hannah.

“Can’t argue with that,” she said. She grabbed onto the bar and threw herself down the slide. The life guard made a noise as Hannah stepped up and got ready to go down.

"Nice girl you have,” she said. Hannah smiled at her quickly.

“Yes, she is,” and then she slid. It was exhilaratingly fast and Hannah found she was laughing when she emerged at the bottom and was flung into the water. Charlie was right there when she broke the water’s surface, also laughing.

“Have fun?” she asked. Hannah grinned.

"Yes, that was incredibly fun!” Hannah said. Charlie leaned in close and grabbed her hand as they swam towards the edge.

“Good,” she whispered. They found their footing when the pool’s bottom got closer and they walked together, hands still clasped, out of the water. The boys were standing just outside the pool, all soaking wet, but Dean just raised an eyebrow and looked pointedly down at their hands.

“Yeah?” he said. Charlie nodded.

“Yeah,” she said. Dean smiled with one corner of his mouth.

“Hey,” a woman’s voice said from behind Sam. They all turned to look. Sam’s gulp was loud enough that Charlie heard it back at the edge of the pool.

“Eva, good to see you,” Dean said with a smile. Eva turned to squint at him for a second, then her cheeks reddened as she realized why she remembered him.

“Oh, hey,’ she offered a low wave, which the others returned with likely inappropriate joviality. After a second of silence, Dean gave Sam a nudge and cleared his throat loudly.

“Hey, Eva,” Sam said in a tiny voice. She sighed and let her arms drop to her sides.

“Well, this is just going to be awkward no matter what, so here goes nothing,” she said quickly. “There’s this karaoke thing going on later at _The Martini_ and it’s going to be spectacularly lame. Want to come with me?” Sam opened and closed his mouth a couple of times without any sound coming out. His tongue had gone hopelessly dry.

“That sounds fun,” Charlie said, trying to make it sound less awkward than it was. “Doesn’t it, Sam?”

“Yeah,” Sam breathed out. Eva’s eyebrows drew together in annoyance so Sam cleared his throat and spoke more loudly. “Yes! Yes, that would be great. I would like to… go do that. With you.” He tried to push his hands into his pockets but one missed its mark so he left his arm to awkwardly hang to one side. Eva smiled, lips pulling back to show off her teeth. _God, she has a nice smile,_ Sam thought.

“Oh, you are all welcome to come too. Uh, if you want,” Eva offered. Dean looked to Sam, who widened his eyes and gave a quick nod. Dean pulled out his most charming smile.

“We’d love to,” he said. Eva shifted back and forth on her feet.

"Great!” she said. She moved forward quickly and gave Sam a peck on the cheek. “I’ll see you later.” Her voice was lowered for only a Sam to hear this time and he smiled as his cheeks flushed. Then Eva rapidly disappeared, giving everyone else a short wave as she departed.

“So, karaoke?” Dean said. “Normally I wouldn’t do that shit if you had a gun to my head, but I guess I can spare my pride for the evening.” Charlie rolled her eyes.

“What is karaoke exactly?” Hannah piped up nervously.

“Oh, it’s gonna be so fun, I swear,” Charlie said. Dean snorted.

“I’m really just looking forward to a performance from Sammy.” Sam visibly paled.

“Well, we have a few hours to kill until then,” Charlie said. “Anyone up for another trip down the waterslide?”

 

* * *

 

The bar was dimly lit except for the stage, which had at least ten lights aimed at it from above. In front of the stage was a dark blue dance floor, which was covered in little flecks of silver. Around that were the tables, all carefully arranged towards the middle of the room. It was a nicer event – that much was obvious.

The tables had dark tablecloths thrown over top and each had a small, intimate candle sitting on top that flickered lightly. Upon entering the room, Dean was immediately glad that Charlie had recommended a wardrobe change.

He, Sam, and Cas all wore slacks they had packed for the one fancy dress dinner – which they still had to go to tomorrow – plus lighter suit coats. None of them wore ties, at least. Dean was grateful. Sure, he liked looking good, but the trip had made the more relaxed part of his personality take control. He could look hot tomorrow. And Cas too. Damn, he hadn’t even thought of that yet. Cas in a well-fitted suit. Actually, a fucking _tux._ Dean didn’t have the words to express how he was looking forward to that one.

Charlie and Hannah looked incredible. Seriously. Charlie’s dress was silver and hung around her knees, light and full of movement. Hannah’s, on the other hand, was black and fit her tightly, a wrapped skirt that came to mid-thigh. Each of them was wearing some teeth-kicking heels, and they had put up their hair. Plus, Hannah looked like maybe Charlie had helped her with some makeup.  They walked into the bar a few minutes after the guys got there. The two of them marched, arm in arm, through the door and Dean knew his jaw wasn’t the only one to drop. They had light jazz playing over the speakers in the bar, but the way they walked in, Dean thought they needed Styx playing or something. Just to give it that _umph._ Cas was the first to recover himself and raise his hand to wave. Charlie saw him and smiled as they made their way to the table.

“ _Damn,_ ” Dean said when they got there.

“I agree,” Cas said with a smile. Charlie and Hannah both beamed as they sank into their chairs.

“Why, thank you, gentlemen,” Charlie said. The boys already had drinks sitting in front of them – Sam alerting anyone who would listen that his included a good deal of alcohol – so Dean offered to and get Charlie and Hannah something.

“I want a sidecar,” Charlie said. She looked to Hannah.

“The same,” she said. Dean nodded.

"You got it.” He returned shortly and placed the slightly orange drinks in front of the girls, who both offered their thanks and began sipping softly. Sam had already downed his scotch, but Dean and Cas both nursed theirs.

“Can’t believe how much the damn scotch was,” Dean muttered. Charlie rolled her eyes.

“You aren’t even paying,” she said. Dean raised an eyebrow.

“Neither are you,” he pointed out. She raised her glass.

“Well, cheers to the douchebag who just lost fifty bucks then,” she said. The others chuckled. Sam couldn’t seem to settle and kept looking anxiously at the door. Dean sighed

“Sam, calm down,” he said. “Just. Get another drink and take a breath. She’ll be here.” Sam nodded and followed orders, disappearing for a couple of minutes to get a refill.

“Is he sweating?” Hannah asked, leaning in at the table once Sam had gone. Dean shrugged and pulled a resigned expression.

“Just never learned any game,” he said. “Years watching a master and he got none of it.” Charlie barked a laugh outright and Dean pinched his lips at her. Hannah swirled her drink.

“This is nice,” she said. “What is it?”

“Cognac,” Charlie said. She took a sip. “Damn good.” Sam collapsed back into his chair and everyone looked more closely. Yeah, he was definitely sweating.

“Jesus, Sammy,” Dean sighed. He looked around and spotted a napkin on another table that was probably intended to be a coaster and swiped it. “Wipe your face off so the woman doesn’t think you’re melting in the candlelight.” Sam glared at him but gratefully snatched the napkin and mopped his forehead with it. He turned his attention back to the door just in time to see Eva walk through it.

She was exquisite. Her dress was higher in the front than the back, coming to just blow her knee and tapering back to her ankles. It was light blue and looked light as air, lifting in the back when she walked. Her hair was down, but a bit was pinned up in front in a kind of braid and she had darkly painted lips. The napkin dropped from Sam’s hand. He downed his second drink and stood, waving a hand to get Eva’s attention. She smiled slyly and started to walk over.

“That girl knows exactly how good she looks,” Charlie muttered to the table.

“You have a problem with that?” Dean muttered back. Eva was still weaving around tables.

“No,” Charlie said. “I envy that.” Eva made it to the table and Sam carefully leaned over to kiss her cheek. Dean hoped he wasn’t the only one who still had no fucking idea what was going on with these two. Based on Charlie’s single raised eyebrow, he wasn’t.

“You look incredible,” Sam said. Eva inclined her head softly.

“Thanks,” she said. Sam quickly grabbed a chair and pulled it out for her, then pushed it in so she was seated. She smiled at him softly. “Not so bad yourself.” Sam bit his lip.

“Can I get you a drink?” he asked.

“Martinez, if you don’t mind,” Eva said. He smiled and wandered off. Eva turned to the others and actually started to look bashful, more like the Eva they had seen earlier. “So, I, uh, haven’t actually been introduced to anyone yet? I mean, I think I met you but, um.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Charlie smiled. “I’ve had my own days. I’m Charlie.” She reached out her hand and Eva shook it.

“Hannah,” Hannah added, also shaking her hand.

“And, as I’m sure Sam told you, I’m his brother, Dean,” Dean smiled. “Plus this here is Cas.” Sam returned to the table with Eva’s drink and she took a large gulp before setting it down on the table.

“Sorry about the earlier meeting,” Eva said. “Not my proudest moment.”

“Hey, mine either,” Sam offered a smile which Eva returned gratefully.

“I’m glad you all came,” Eva said. “I thought maybe going on this trip on my own would be a good excuse to get solo time, but it turns out it just makes everything really fucking lonely. Like, I don’t know how bingo got more depressing, but it managed.” The table chuckled and fell into easy conversation until the lights faded down and the emcee for the evening took the stage. They all turned their attention to the man, who wore a blue velvet suit jacket and a bowtie.

“Glad I didn’t wear _my_ blue velvet suit. That would have been so embarrassing,” Dean muttered. He heard Cas muffle a laugh and grinned to himself.

“Welcome, everyone, to our very special Karaoke Night!” the man said. He had a radio announcer’s voice, booming but off somehow. Dean liked the quirk of him. “I’m Bart, and I’ll be leading you all through the murky waters of karaoke tonight. Are we ready to enjoy some drinks and singing?” There was a splattering of cheers and claps and Bart grinned.

“First up, Jamie is going to give us her rendition of ‘One Way or Another,” Bart continued. A brunette in her mid-20s took the stage with a wide smile and tricky eyes. She surveyed the crowd and began to sway when the music started. When she began to sing, her eyes locked onto one person and stayed there throughout her whole performance. Dean glanced over and caught sight of a bombshell blonde, who seemed unable to take her eyes off of Jamie. After she wrapped up the song, she handed the mic back to one of the event assistants and climbed down off of the stage. Dean watched her trail around the tables and drop into the chair next to the blonde. They leaned together and kissed softly. By the time Dean looked away, another person was on stage.

"Not a terrible way to start the evening,” Dean said.

“Yeah, well, not everyone is drunk yet,” Eva said. Dean huffed a laugh and nodded to concede the point. Which proved to be a very fair one. The next performance, a dumpy, middle-aged guy who stood up to sing ‘Bennie and The Jets’ did a fine job, but then things started to go downhill. Fast. Not that everyone noticed. As the various participants became progressively more drunk, so did the main viewership. Including the little Winchester table.

“That was great!” Charlie said, far too loudly, when a girl left the stage after a rousing performance of ‘My Heart Will Go On’. They almost made it through the whole week without someone making that damn reference. And it wasn’t even good. It was barely _palatable_. But a look around the table revealed a chorus of nodding heads so Dean just laughed and took a long draw off his glass, emptying it. It was replaced quickly. After another song, Sam abruptly stood up. He took a minute to get his balance after tilting over to one side upon standing.

“I’ll be right back,” he said. The others nodded. Eva smiled as she watched him go.

“So, Eva,” Dean said seriously. “What are your intentions with my brother?” They both looked at each other intently for a few seconds and then broke down into full-bellied laughter. Dean felt looser now. His head was fuzzy and smiling was easier. And damn, had these karaoke people just gotten better and better? Bart took the stage again.

“Thank you very much, Sasha, for that song,” he said. He had had the same grin on his face all night long and Dean didn’t know if it contributed to the charm or took away from it.

“I wonder where Sam went,” Hannah said. Dean looked at her and then at his brother’s empty chair, which had been empty for a longer time than it took to either get a new drink or take a piss. He glanced around the bar. Huh.

“And now, to welcome our next performer for the evening,” Bart said from onstage. “Sam has a very special song for a very special girl. Sam? Take it away!” Everyone’s eyes shot to the stage and Dean’s jaw dropped when he saw his incredibly drunk and red-faced little brother clamber up to the microphone on stage.

“Oh my god,” Charlie whispered. It was like she couldn’t even manage a higher volume.

“This, uh, is for Eva,” Sam slurred at the mic. The music started and Dean’s head slammed down on the table.

“Oh my _god,”_ Charlie whispered more intently.

“I gotta take a little time, a little time to think things over,” Sam sang into the mic. Dean lifted his head slightly off the table to look at Eva, whose jaw was dangling dangerously open. He looked around the room. Some people were swaying. “In my life there’s been heartache and pain,” Sam sang a bit louder. He was gaining his confidence now. He closed his eyes a bit when he had to force out a note.

“ _Dean,”_ Charlie hissed. He looked over at her. “Get out your fucking camera.” Dean sat up straight and went blindly for his phone, getting it open and pressing record just in time.

“I wanna know what love is! I want you to show me!” Sam belted. He pulled the mic out of the stand so he could move closer to the edge of the stage. As he reached the end of the first chorus, he heard a sharp whistle and looked over to see that Charlie had been the one to do it. Dean chuckled and grinned. Throughout the verse, Sam swayed his hips a bit, although he still looked unsteady on his feet. He broke into the second chorus with higher energy.

“I wanna know what love is!” he sang. He pointed directly at their table, looking at Eva. He stumbled a bit but righted himself, not missing a word in the song. He almost tried to step off the stage and towards the audience but one of the aids came forward and put his hand out to prevent Sam from moving. The guy muttered something and rolled his eyes but Sam stayed on the stage.

At the end of the final chorus, when the notes got the most intense, Sam actually sunk down on his knees and sang. “I want to feel it too, and I know and I know, I know you can show me. Show me love is real, yeah, I want to know what love is!” When he hit the highest note, everyone at their table burst into thunderous cheers, even Eva, who was grinning widely. Dean struggled to hold the camera straight. When the last notes of the song faded out, Sam collapsed onto his back, only the hand with the mic staying up.

The room exploded with noise. People stood up from their seats to cheer. There was loud whooping from a table of women on one side of the bar. Charlie looked like she wanted to climb on the table and yell. Dean identified with that feeling. It wasn’t even that great, but Sam had just… he’d _gone for it._ It was hysterical. Dean wanted the video to be up on the Time’s Square billboards for everyone. His little brother, drunkenly belting out Foreigner to a women he’d met roughly four days earlier. Bart walked back onstage, openly laughing.

“Can we hear it again for Sam?” he called. The bar erupted again. Dean and Charlie put their fingers in their mouths and whistled simultaneously. Sam sat up and gave them a gummy smile. Bart gave him a hand up. “Come on, give us a bow!” he said. Sam leaned forward, bending at the middle, and only stayed standing through Bart’s intervention. Sam waved expressively as he walked off the stage and Dean finally clicked the button on his phone to stop recording. He was almost out of space on the damn thing, but it was fully fucking worth it. Finally, Sam made it back to the table. All of them clamored to give him another thorough round of applause.

“Sam, that was incredible!” Charlie said.

“You were fantastic,” Hannah added with a smile.

“Bravo,” was Cas’s contribution.

“Bra-fucking-vo, Sammy!” Dean laughed loudly and clapped his brother on the shoulder. Eva stood and practically attacked him, standing up on tiptoes to capture his mouth in hers. Sam’s eyes widened in surprise and then he seemed to catch up, wrapping his arms around her waist. He lifted her clean off the floor and she giggled against his mouth.

“That was amazing,” she said, still chuckling. He beamed at her.

“I’m glad you liked it,” he said. She shook her head in amusement and kissed him again. Eventually, Cas had to clear his throat. She broke away with a surprised noise and looked around like she had forgotten everyone was there.

“Oh, sorry,” she said. Sam lowered her feet back down onto the floor and she straightened her dress. Neither moved to take their seats, just fidgeted. In the background, a man started to sing ‘Island in the Sun’.

“Do you--" Sam started.

“Oh, god yes,” Eva practically whined. She grabbed Sam’s arm and waved. “See you all later. Nice to meet you!” Then she essentially herded Sam out of the bar.

“Damn,” Dean said.

“I can’t believe that actually worked,” Charlie laughed. Hannah shook her head.

“It was a very… energetic performance,” she said. Dean snorted.

“It goes on my list of best moments ever,” he said. He glanced over at Cas and smiled. Under the table, he moved his hand over until it rested on Cas’s thigh and then grabbed the angel’s hand, giving it a solid pulse.

“I can’t believe Sam is gonna get lucky after singing Foreigner,” Charlie said.

“Hey,” Dean said, offended. “Let’s not bring them into this.” Charlie rolled her eyes.

“Grandpa,” She said.

“Nerd,” he responded with a grin. “So, you want to stick around for a few more songs?” Charlie looked up at the guy singing Weezer poorly and shook her head.

"I’m good,” she said. “Hannah?”

“I think Sam’s performance is one that won’t be beaten,” Hannah said. “Besides…” here, she leaned over and whispered something in Charlie’s ear that made her turn faintly pink.

“Well!” Charlie said, standing up so quickly she almost knocked her chair over. “We have things to be doing. You two enjoy the rest of their night.” And then they both rapidly left the bar. Dean chuckled and he saw Cas smiling at the empty doorway they had disappeared through.

“So, I can think of one or two things we could be doing tonight,” Dean muttered. Cas raised an eyebrow.

“Is that so?” he asked. Dean glanced around, then leaned forward and gave Cas’s earlobe a light bite before whispering.

“Yeah, I have some ideas.” Cas coughed and tried to maintain a semi-stoic expression, but mainly failed.

“To the room, then?” he choked out. Dean grinned and pulled Cas up from the table. Sam wasn’t the only one getting lucky tonight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In case you want a link (reading the karaoke scene with the music is super special), the song is [I Wanna Know What Love Is by Foreigner](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=raNGeq3_DtM)
> 
> Only two chapters left! Comments? How am I doing?


	9. Day 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There was actually a purpose to this cruise, right? Bloodsucking vampire? Yeah! That! That should probably get taken care of.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, second to last chapter! I hope you all enjoy a bit of the team ACTUALLY trying to catch a vampire.

Dean woke slowly, blinking his eyes open to see not much of anything in the nearly black room. That was the problem with these lower-deck rooms: no windows. He was about to roll over and check the time on his watch when he noticed the warmth accompanying his side. He shifted and turned his head. _Oh._ He was wrapped tightly around Cas, one of his arms draped over his bare chest and one underneath a mess of dark hair. Dean made a pleased noise and pulled Cas a little more tightly against him.

“Good morning, Dean,” Cas murmured. Dean smiled against the angel’s neck. He kissed the spot softly.

“Morning,” he said.

“I like waking up next to you,” Cas said. Dean could hear the smile on his lips. He continued to kiss Cas’s neck, the kisses trailing up until he was nibbling at Cas’s jawline. The angel arched against him and Dean shuddered.

“No fair,” Dean muttered. Cas chuckled and Dean could feel the rumbling noise of it through his whole body.

“We should get up and go to breakfast,” Cas said. Dean groaned dramatically and pulled Cas more tightly to him again.

“I don’t want to,” he said. Cas turned his head to give Dean a fond glare.

“In case you had forgotten, we still have a vampire to catch today,” he said. Dean sighed heavily.

“Right, sorry,” he said. “I forgot plan Focus.” That had been the word they’d decided on the night before, directly preceding karaoke. They still had nothing on the vamp and they only had one full day left. So, rule of the final day? Nothing was allowed besides searching the ship top to bottom.

“Are you more willing to get up now?” Cas asked. He turned around completely in the bed so they were face to face and kissed Dean firmly, wrapping his arms around the hunter as the kiss continued.

"You aren’t helping,” Dean muttered into Cas’s mouth. He felt Cas smile.

“Terribly sorry,” he said. Dean pushed him away and snorted.

“I’ve been a terrible influence,” he said. He peeled himself away from Cas and put his feet firmly on the ground. “Come on, let’s get ready.” Cas slunk up behind him and wrapped his arms around Dean’s torso, sucking wet kisses into the hunter’s muscled back. Dean clamped down one particularly high-pitched noise he didn’t want to escape but then he was lost. “Fine,” he muttered, “they can start breakfast without us.” And then he turned and pushed Cas against the mattress, both of them caught up laughing.

 

* * *

 

 

“Alright, Sam has two minutes to get here or he can make his own damn plan,” Dean said. His voice didn’t have nearly the ferocity he meant for it to. He was trying far too hard not to betray the fact that Cas had been tickling his thigh for the last five minutes. Then again, Charlie and Hannah seemed a little too wrapped up in each other to take notice if Dean and Cas actually had sex on the table right in front of them. Which, if Cas kept touching his thigh like that, wasn’t a plan Dean was entirely against.

“Hmmm, what was that?” Charlie asked, proving Dean’s fucking point right there.

“Charlie,” he said, with forced calm, “we have to focus today. We should have caught this asshole days ago.” Charlie sighed loudly. She and Hannah had their chairs pulled so close today they may as well have been sitting on top of each other. He could also tell they had linked hands underneath the table. Not that he was judging. Under the table seemed like a good place right about now.

“Sorry I’m late!” Sam’s voice boomed out. Dean tensed and jumped in his chair. Sam had apparently stopped by their room just before to change clothes because the suit pants and jacket were gone. Also, the guy was practically skipping. Again, no judgment from Dean.

"Just sit down so we can get this done fast,” Dean said. Under the table, Cas slipped his hand into Dean’s pocket and Dean swallowed thickly, hoping he didn’t squeak when he actually explained the plan.

“We need to canvas the whole ship, right?” Sam asked.

“We couldn’t come up with anything more effective,” Cas said, the picture of nonchalance. Dean, meanwhile, was sweating. He felt hot and Dean was going to _kill Cas for this._ Although that could wait until Cas fucked him again first.

“Actually, I had an idea,” Charlie piped up. “I don’t know why I didn’t think of it earlier. Must have been distracted by something.” She smiled over at Hannah and Dean rolled his eyes.

“What is it, Heart Eyes?” he asked. Charlie didn’t even bother to glare at him.

“Well, it’s a long shot,” she said. “But if this guy is on this boat every week, people must remember him. He can’t change the name he reserves the room under. So I just have to hack the ship logs for the last couple months and see what names repeat.” Hannah beamed at her like she was the sun itself sent to earth. And, yeah, it was a solid plan.

“Nice,” Sam said with a grin. He noticed a waiter walking past with a blueberry muffin and stood up to track one down himself. He returned quickly, already chowing down on the muffin. Dean glared at him, but nothing was going to work. He was working that just-got-laid glow. It was a good kind of glow.

“Anyway, plan,” Dean said. Cas had removed his hand from his pocket, thank god. But now the angel was playing with Dean’s foot, slowly dragging his shoe up Dean’s leg.

“Me and Hannah can go to the internet bar,” Charlie said. “We’ll get a name and a room number.”

“Alright,” Dean said. He resisted the urge to make a crack about the last time they’d said they were going to the internet bar. “Me and Cas will start on the bottom floor and try to scope out rooms.

“And where do you want me?” Sam asked.

“Check out some staff,” Dean directed. “Ask about regulars. See if you can get a description. Everyone got it?” Around the table there were nods. Cas’s hand dropped back onto Dean’s thigh, very high this time and Dean made a sort of semi-squeak that he would deny to his grave. He gave Cas a swift kick under the table.

“Ow!” Sam shouted. He looked accusingly at Dean. “What the hell, dude?” Dean’s face reddened and he ignored the small smirk on Cas’s face.

"Sorry, feeling twitchy today,” he muttered. Sam scoffed and stood up.

“Whatever,” he said. “Meet up by the pool in… two hours?” Everyone agreed and rapidly disappeared in different directions.

 

* * *

 

 

Once the elevator doors closed, Dean shoved Cas roughly against the back wall. He gave Cas a bruising kiss, rough and hot, and then pulled back only after a sharp bite to Cas’s lower lip. The angel breathed heavily, his eyes widened to reveal his even wider pupils. His mouth hung open ever so slightly.

“You’re a dick, you know that?” Dean asked, breathing the words into Cas’s mouth. The elevator dinged and Dean fully pulled away so they were standing a few inches apart when the doors slid open and they could step off.

“And you’re an ass,” Cas muttered back. He licked his lips and Dean sucked in a breath. _Focus, Winchester. Focus._ Dean thought.

It was even easier than he thought it would be to find housekeeping uniforms. The only trouble there was not jumping Cas when they were changing. And based on how slowly Cas took off each individual article of clothing, he knew Dean was looking. But they did manage to get dressed without having sex in a broom closet. Only barely, but still. At last they stood at the end of the first hallway of rooms on the lowest floor. Dean sighed loudly. So. Many. Doors.

“Ready?” he asked Cas, already sounding worn out. Cas looked forlornly at the hallway.

“Yes, I suppose I am,” he said. Dean almost chuckled at how depressed the guy sounded. He walked to the first door and knocked.

“Here we go,” he muttered, then pasted on his friendly, customer-service smile.

 

* * *

 

 

“Come on, you must know some people who are on board way too often,” Sam said. He leaned forward over the housekeeping cart. Adrianna, one of the housekeepers, was still inside the room in front of them. She worked on folding a towel into the shape of an elephant. Actually, it was pretty impressive. But Adrianna wanted nothing to do with him.

“I don’t discuss guests,” she said for what must have been the fourth time. Sam sighed and let his head fall down onto the stack of towels on the cart.

“I know. I know you don’t discuss guests,” he said. She gave him an unimpressed look from inside the room and placed the towel elephant on the bed, then put a mint in front of it. This seemed to signify completion of the room’s cleaning as she backed out of the room and closed the door with a firm click. She ignored Sam’s weight entirely and gave her cart a push, moving it down to the next door. Sam was so knocked off balance he almost fell back on his ass, but he righted himself.

“You should get going,” she said. Sam sighed, putting in all the forlorn-puppy-dog energy he always heard he had.

“I’m sorry for bothering you,” he said. “It’s really nothing. I’m just trying to find this old friend. I haven’t seen him in years and all I know is that he is always on this ship. I was just hoping for a chance to make things right.” He sighed again, deeper and more morosely. He could see from the corner of his eye that Adrianna’s frown was less crinkled around her mouth. “Thanks for putting up with me anyway.” At that, he started to walk away, making sure to lurch his shoulders and drag his feet. He got two doors away before Adrianna’s voice stopped him.

“Look, I don’t know your friend,” she said. Sam looked up at her, his eyes hopeful. “As for regulars, well…” she worried her lip and glanced around. Sam got closer to her, which seemed to help. He nodded to urge her on. She finally continued softly, “As for regulars, we just have the one.”

 

* * *

 

 

Dean and Cas slugged along, having made it up to the third lowest floor on the ship. So far the whole canvasing plan was bust. They had about eleven more floors to go and only an hour before they were supposed to meet and greet up at the pool. At the rate they were going, the vamp was going to get away clean. Despite the fact that catching him was _supposed_ to be their goal in the first place. Dean glanced over at Cas, who looked as worn down as he felt. A smile dented his cheeks a bit. Well, maybe not everything had been for naught. He had gained a few really awesome things from the trip. As per their established routine, Dean marched up to the next door and raised his hand and knocked loudly.

“Cruise service,” he announced. At this point, the door usually opened and Dean would ask some lame ass question like, ‘Hi, we’re here to ask how your cruise is so far. Would you be interested in a short survey?’ which, most of the time, got them an annoyed look, a no, or a door slammed in their faces. It was slow going. This time, though, it went slightly differently. The door opened and Dean opened his mouth to get on with his usual spiel, but he was stopped short. Due to the fact that his mouth stopped working entirely. Because a very familiar face had opened the door.

“You!” Holt shouted.

“Shit,” Dean heard Cas mutter. As good a time as any to start casually cursing, in Dean’s opinion. Dean winced.

“Hello, sir. We were wondering how your cruise has been so far? Would you perhaps be interested in filling out a short survey?” Dean pasted on a nervous smile. Holt threw the door the rest of the way open and practically roared.

“We’ll take that as a no,” Cas said. He grabbed Dean’s arm and they were off, Holt close on their heels. Apparently, Holt was not as willing to forgive them this time around. He wasn’t going to let them out of his sight by disappearing up some staircase. Dean and Cas careened down the hallway, jumping around people and obstacles like a fucking monster was on their tail. At the stairs, they went two at a time, and burst onto the floor above Holt’s new room.

“They must have moved him because of the busted door,” Dean panted. He swerved around a housekeeping cart and dragged Cas with him. Behind them, he heard Holt knock the whole thing on its side.

“Perhaps not the best time to question why or how, Dean,” Cas panted right back. “We can ask him about his room change later.”

“Sassy bastard,” Dean said. In response, Cas pulled him quickly around a corner and then into a room, then slammed the door. He put a hand over Dean’s mouth and made smite-eyes at the hunter. Dean assumed that meant to shut the hell up, and he didn’t really know if he could form words with Cas looking at him like that. He just nodded. They both listened to the door for a second before a squeak made them look around. Sitting on the bed was a little old woman, probably in her late 60s. Her eyes were wide and afraid. Cas’s hand slowly lowered from Dean’s mouth and then both chuckled nervously and laughed.

“We’ll just leave you,” Cas said.

“Sorry for the intrusion,” Dean added. Cas pulled open the door and shoved Dean through it, both of them stumbling into the hallway. Just in time to see Holt stop in place at the end of the hall and quickly reverse his direction so he was coming back at them. “We can’t fucking win,” Dean said. Cas just kept running. They got back to the stairs and ran up them as fast as their legs could manage. Instead of stopping at the next floor, they just kept going until they reached the deck and they were both panting desperately for air. Dean put a hand on Cas’s shoulder and they stopped for a breath.

“You aren’t getting away this time!” they heard Holt yell from the stairs. “Cruise security is getting you whether they want to or not.” Dean rolled his eyes. This guy was a damn douchebag. He nodded at Cas and they continued forward, swerving in opposite directions to avoid knocking over a small child holding an ice cream cone. Their movements still startled the child enough that he dropped his cone on the deck and began to cry. Dean yelled a loud sorry back at the kid, but didn’t bother to stop. Cas had gone down the other hallway, so Dean made his way through the dining area. The buffet wasn’t too crowded for the early afternoon, just before the lunch rush. He still managed to knock a couple glasses off a table. When he looked back and failed to see Holt, he figured the guy had gone after Cas instead. Perfect.

Dean doubled back around the buffet and in the direction Cas had taken off. He was about to the pool when he knocked smack into Sam and they both fell back on the deck.

“Dean!” Sam yelled. They both shuffled to standing. “I got a name!”

“Great, tell me later!” Dean yelled back. He pulled Sam’s arm so they were both running. “Some guy is gonna kill Cas.” Ok, not the truest of words. The guy didn’t even have the ability to kill Cas. But still, Dean didn’t want the guy laying a fucking hand on him.

“How? What?” Sam asked. When Dean didn’t answer he just rolled his eyes and kept on running. Around the other side of the deck, Dean caught a glance of Cas’s dark hair disappearing into another stairwell, followed shortly by Holt’s well-greased hair. He growled deep in his throat.

“Downstairs,” he grumbled to Sam. His lungs hurt so much it was agony to draw any air in, but he kept running. They both caught up to the stairs faster than Dean thought they would and could still hear the two in front of them running.

“Cas!” Sam yelled down the stairwell.

“Level 5!” came the gravelly reply. And then a door slamming to indicate they had left the stairwell.

“Fuck,” Dean muttered. By the time they made it to level 5, Holt had Cas trapped. He was advancing on the angel, who stood in the corner with that weird level of coolness he got from being celestial or something.

“You fuckers,” Holt said. Finally, Dean got there, and grabbed Holt’s arm as it was on its way to Cas’s face.

“Not a finger on my angel,” Dean said. He was breathing too hard for the boastful tone to really be clear. He caught Sam looking upward dramatically at the ‘my’ part of his sentence but Dean ignored it. He pulled Holt’s hand behind his back and the douchebag grunted in pain.

“Get off of me,” he said. Dean gave a nod to Sam who dutifully came forward and gave Holt a shove until he was face first against the wall next to Cas, with his arm still trapped behind his back.

“Alright, I didn’t really want to deal with you before,” Dean said. He slowly regained control of his breath so he could really take advantage of some his famous arrogance. “But now you’ve directly attacked, so I’m gonna set you straight. Forget this, and we forget you. Capiche?” Holt struggled under his firm hold.

“I’m gonna kill you guys,” he said. Dean rolled his eyes and pulled Holt’s arm back more tightly, getting another moan of pain from the guy.

“Come again?” Dean asked. Holt let out a breath.

“Fine, whatever,” he said. Dean released his arm and he turned around, rubbing his shoulder. “You guys are kinky assholes, you know that?” Dean blinked.

“I’m sorry, what?” he asked. Sam raised an eyebrow at Dean over Holt’s shoulder.

“Breaking in to see us have sex? It’s fucked up,” Holt said. He glared at Cas. “Assholes. Whatever. I’m out.” Dean spluttered but Holt ignored him. He walked away still holding his shoulder. Dean turned to Sam who looked far too amused.

“That’s not—we were—he was a vampire!” he said. Sam shook his head.

“No, he’s definitely not the vampire,” he said. Dean perked up at his tone. Sam smiled. “But I know who is.”

 

* * *

 

 

Charlie paced back and forth across the deck. She checked her phone for probably the third time in the last five minutes and Hannah sighed softly at her.

“They should be here,” Charlie muttered.

“As you said before,” Hannah said. Charlie walked up and down the length of the pool, then checked her phone again. Hannah came forward and put her hand on Charlie’s arm, gently lowering it.

“This will not help,” Hannah said. Charlie fell against Hannah, leaning her head against the angel’s chest. She exhaled.

“What should we do?” she asked. Hannah cautiously ran her fingers through Charlie’s hair and thought.

“You know the room number, correct?” she asked. Charlie leaned up and looked at her.

“Yes?” she said. Hannah shrugged.

“Then let’s go by ourselves,” she said. Charlie looked at her for a minute with a look of contemplation stuck on her face.

“I mean, I guess we could,” she said. As soon as the words were out of her mouth, she felt better. “But we’re gonna need something to get the head off.”

“Kitchen?” Hannah asked. Charlie grinned.

“Kitchen.”

 

* * *

 

 

“Is one of us going to call the girls or something?” Sam asked. Dean waved a hand.

“Nah, let’s wrap this up. They’ll be fine for a couple minutes on their own,” he said. They wandered down the hall quietly, checking room numbers as they went.

“Yeah, I guess,” Sam said, but he sounded unsure. They turned a corner and Dean put a finger to his lips as he led them forward.

“Cas, you ready to gank a bloodsucker?” Dean asked. The angel nodded uncertainly. Finally, they were at the door. Dean looked to either side of him to get the go-ahead nods. With their agreement, Dean leaned back and then surged forward against the door, knocking it off his hinges. All three of them burst in, ready to go. Then things got confusing. Almost as soon as they had walked through the door, Sam was thrown back out into the hallway with a crash. Dean didn’t even see who it was that threw him the opposite direction, just knew he landed on a soft bed. One of the high-class rooms with a lot more space surrounded him. And when he sat up, he could just see Cas with a snarl frozen on his face while holy flames burnt around him in a circle.

“Well,” said a voice. “About time you idiots caught up with me.”

 

* * *

 

 

“Which number is it?” Hannah asked. Charlie gulped and checked the note she had left on her hand, despite the fact that she had the room number memorized from repeating it in her head so many times.

“9084,” Charlie whispered. They were already on the level, stalking carefully towards the room. This was a much nicer floor than the one they were staying on. Practically the presidential suites of the cruise world. Charlie had glanced inside of one when they passed it earlier and she almost stopped to check it out, but had resisted. Still no calls or texts from the boys.

“Up there,” Charlie muttered. She pointed around the corner with the hand that wasn’t busy trying to hide the huge knife they’d nabbed in the kitchen. The knife which Charlie now held tightly against her leg in the desperate hope that no one would notice a small red-head carrying a huge fucking knife around the residential area of a cruise ship. As soon as they stepped around the corner, Charlie knew something was off.

There was a dent in the wall opposite of the door which she had a sneaking suspicion someone had been thrown against. Plus, as they got closer, they saw the door was torn off its hinges. They heard voices from inside.

“Sammy! Sam? You awake?” it was Dean’s voice. Charlie tensed. She felt worse when Sam didn’t answer. So, that was who got thrown against the wall out here then. And Dean was tied up. But what was Cas doing? They walked up to the door and, just before they reached the edge of the trim, they got their answer. There was a light glow flowing from the door.

“Holy fire,” Hannah said in such a low voice that Charlie had a hard time hearing her. Her eyes widened and she nodded. “Ready?” Hannah mouthed. Charlie nodded again, more firmly, and took a breath before jumping directly into the open door. She winced at the glow of the holy fire, and made sure to keep the knife hidden behind her leg.

“Hey!” She shouted. “No way out now!”

“Charlie!” Dean yelled from the other side of the room. He looked like he was tied up on the bed. Strong vamp, then. And speak of the devil.

“Hello, ladies,” the vampire said. Hannah looked over at Cas and they locked eyes for a moment before he gave a slight incline of the head.

“Jamie Goff, I’m assuming,” Charlie said, willing her voice to be firm. The vampire smiled, her red lips upturning sharply.

“That’s me, cupcake,” she said. Charlie took a step forward, trying to keep the vampire’s focus. She tucked the knife more tightly behind her.

“Can’t believe I didn’t figure it out,” Charlie said. Jamie barked a laugh.

“Honestly,” she said. “You’ve been hanging with the man squad too long.” Charlie shook her head.

“I mean, lesbian vampire? That should be, like, my first assumption,” she said. “I’m actually disappointed with myself.” Jamie smiled wickedly.

“I recognize you,” Cas said, from his fiery place in the room. “From karaoke night. You sang to that women.” Charlie’s brain caught up quickly and she looked around the room.

“Not here,” Jamie said. “That’s my snack for later.” Charlie tried to go for an arrogant snort, the kind Dean would make in this situation, but she was too nervous and it sounded more like she was choking.

“Not if, uh, we have anything to say about it,” Charlie said. She ignored Dean’s unimpressed look from the bed. Whatever. He was tied up. Which meant she was doing, like, significantly better than him at this point. She made a note to point this out to him later. “Wait, how are you even burning holy fire in here?” She asked, just noticing how ridiculous it was. Jamie shrugged.

“Picked it up from a witch a while back,” she said. “Burns the oil, nothing else. Don’t worry, I’m not taking this ship down with me or anything so dramatic.”

“Let me guess, you just want to eat your people in peace?” Charlie asked. This was starting to sound way too much like something out of a TV show. Cliché villain, stuck up on monologuing. She expected more out of a lesbian vampire. Like, represent, you know? Still, it made beating her slightly easier.

“It was going fine until you assholes got wind of it,” Jamie said, annoyance clipping her tone. Charlie scoffed.

“Really? You’re going to go with the ‘you meddling kids’ thing?” she asked. Again, she ignored Dean’s glare. She saw Hannah out of the corner of her eye get as close the holy fire as she could.

“I know, cliché, right?” Jamie said. “But honestly, I was expecting more out of all of you.” Charlie heard a groan and located Sam in the corner, slowly waking up.

“Sam! You alright?” Dean asked from the bed. Charlie ignored them.

“How did you get these three all tied up?” Charlie asked. Jamie smiled again.

“It helps when you know hunters are coming,” she said. Charlie’s eyes widened ever-so-slightly but Jamie saw it. “Yeah, I’ve known about your little crew since you got on the boat. You talk about vampires awfully loudly over breakfast, you know?” Charlie felt like smacking herself. The brunette from brunch. The one who had given them weird looks. Over by the angels, there was a loud crashing noise. Jamie and Charlie turned abruptly to look in time to see Cas climb over the bureau Hannah had knocked onto the ring of holy fire. Charlie turned back to Jamie, whose face had drained. Cas moved incredibly fast, and quickly had the vampire up on the wall by the throat.

“You were toying with us?” he asked. He was full of a furious calm that seemed to shake his whole body.

“You deserved it!” Jamie said, sounding more exasperated than terrified. “I wasn’t even hiding! I saw you at bars, at the beach, by the pool. Whatever! You were all too busy hiding around corners and feeling each other up to notice me.” The room went quiet. Alright, she probably had a point there. Cas looked embarrassed for reasons Charlie couldn’t quite put her finger on. Until she saw Dean’s face pulling a similar expression. She couldn’t help it. A shocked laugh burst from her lips before she could push it down. Everyone looked at her.

“I’m sorry,” she muttered, still trying to stop laughing. “It’s just. You two idiots finally figured it out? Seriously?” Cas looked disapprovingly at her, but Dean just looked like he wanted to light himself on fire. Cas turned back to Jamie.

“Thank you for pointing out where we might need to work on improvement,” he said. “We’ll take that into consideration.” Then he put his hand on Jamie’s head and gestured to Charlie, who steeled herself and swung her knife sharply. She felt it cut through Jamie’s neck and stick into the wooden trim behind it while Jamie’s body collapsed limply to the floor.

“Well, good thing I grabbed this on the way over,” Charlie said after a moment. Dean grunted.

“Maybe you could use it to, I don’t know, _untie me_ now _,_ ” he said, hissing the last couple of words. Charlie raised an eyebrow.

“Or we could leave you alone with Cas for a while, really get the most out of the ropes,” she said. She was more than satisfied when Dean’s face lit up bright red and he could do nothing but splutter. She chuckled. On the floor, Sam groaned. She turned and saw Hannah helping him up.

“Oh, god,” he moaned. It took a couple of yanks before Charlie could get the knife out of the wall, but when she did she went over and cut off Dean’s bindings, which he thanked her for by glaring at her as he rubbed his wrists.

“Are you alright, Sam?” Cas asked. Sam rubbed his head and looked up with another groan. He looked sick.

“Did she seriously say that you two are a thing?” he asked. Dean’s head fell against his chest in defeat.

“Right?” Charlie said. Cas looked uncomfortable.

“Because if she was telling the truth,” Sam said, “Garth owes me twenty bucks.” A grin spread across his face as Dean looked up, horror-struck.

“You were… betting on me?” he said.

“The angels have been making bets for years,” Hannah said. If possible, Dean looked more horrified than before.

“Seriously?” Charlie laughed. Hannah smiled.

“No, I just wanted to see if I could get Dean’s face to look any more ridiculous,” she said. Charlie and Sam both burst into loud laughter.

“Well, glad this is so amusing for everyone,” Dean said. Sam laughed all the way over to his brother to clap him on the shoulder.

“Mazel tov,” he said. “Now, let’s get rid of the damn body so we can actually enjoy the rest of today.”

“Yeah,” Dean muttered, a little smile tilting up the corner of his mouth.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, so now everyone knows! And you also know about the vampire. I was wondering if anyone would catch the wandering brunette throughout this fic. Anyway, hope you liked. Stay tuned for one more chapter of ABSURD FLUFF.  
> Comments? PLEASE tell me what you thought!!


	10. Day 7, Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What's killing a vampire worth if you can't get all fancy and dance the night away to celebrate?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, final chapter. Hope you all enjoy the wrap-up!

The ballroom was more decked out than Dean had seen all week in passing glances. Although most of the week had been spent either running through it or running by it, so he hadn’t had any real opportunities to look as of yet. But now that he could see it? Wow. In order to enter, they had to walk under the two curving, glass staircases of the main atrium. The chandeliers were lit up sconces on the walls were dimmed. Dinner was to be served in the actual ballroom, which Dean was looking forward to immensely. If the rest of the food they’d had that week was any indication, the meal tonight was going to be good enough to actually kill him.

That is, if Cas didn’t get to him first. Because, as much as Dean had tried to imagine him in the tux he was now wearing – which apparently he’d had tailored at some point during the week at the shop onboard – was just. It was good. It was a good tux. It made tuxes around it feel bad about themselves. As soon as Dean had seen him his throat had gone dry until Sam snorted and slapped him on the back and muttered ‘tell your boyfriend he looks nice’ which Dean hit him for. But he did follow directions. He had whispered it softly in Cas’s ear as they walked arm in arm down to the ball. Cas had just smiled and whispered that Dean did also. Dean definitely didn’t blush. Except he did. He totally did.

Charlie’s jaw dropped open when she walked into the ballroom. The tables were all tight and intimate, lit with small candles like the karaoke bar from the night before, but with class. The dance floor was a deep shade of purple, sparkling under the glittering chandeliers, and a well-dressed band played at the front of the room. It was a nice mix of music, a bit of old and a bit of new. Charlie immediately felt like dancing. And her dress encouraged it. She’d bought it the week before getting on board and knew, when she’d looked in the mirror at the store, she was going to knock a few people over. Luckily, she even ended up with someone specific to impress.

Charlie’s dress was floor-length and emerald green, covered in sequins from cap-sleeves to the flared bottom. Green had always been her color. She wore silver heels, not too tall, and a simple necklace, plus she had a couple of sparkly, silver clips that held her hair up in a complicated up-do. Overall, the look pretty much equaled an impressed, two-syllable ‘damn’. Not that it compared to Hannah. Hannah, who had picked out her own gown the day they went shopping. The one that made Charlie’s heart beat a little more wildly and made her palms sweat. Because, as much as others might look, that dress was hers to dance with tonight.

It was solidly black, made of a silky fabric. It was held up by two thick straps on either side that trailed into a semi-deep V-neck that did all kinds of things to Charlie. Not to mention the long slit that ran up the leg, stopping just above the knee on the right side. The whole thing was smooth as silk and feather-light to the touch. So touch it Charlie did. As they walked through the large doors and took in the round ballroom, she slid an arm around Hannah’s waist and pulled her closer, eliciting a tiny smile from the angel.

“I’m going to get you to dance tonight,” Charlie said. Hannah laughed softly. They were led to their table and the waiters generously pulled out their chairs and then pushed them in as Hannah and Charlie took their seats. Hannah leaned over as soon as the waiters departed and tucked a stray hair behind Charlie’s ear before whispering softly.

“You look beautiful,” Charlie’s stomach filled with heat, as did her cheeks. She loved the way Hannah’s breath felt against her ear. She smelled like violets after a thunderstorm. It was intoxicating.

“Not as incredible as you,” Charlie responded. The reached beneath the table and intertwined their fingers. Looking across the round table, she could tell Dean and Cas had done the same. They had only just received their first glasses of champagne when Sam arrived with Eva on his arm. The pair of them were imposing. They made a gorgeous couple. Eva’s dress was deep pink with a sequined black sash across her waist. It was sleeveless and emphasized the curves of her body perfectly. And, Charlie admitted, Sam looked pretty good in a tux. They looked like a damn power couple. They both took their seats between the two already seated couples.

“Hey, guys,” Eva said with a smile.

“I love your dress, Eva,” Charlie said. She received an honestly thrilled smile.

“Really?” she said. “Not too much?”

“Not at all,” Hannah said.

As expected, dinner was amazing. Everyone got something different and tried – as subtly as possible since it didn’t seem totally acceptable in their current setting – bits off of each other’s plates. It was universally agreed upon that Cas’s dish was the best. It was some kind of beef dish with mushrooms and a sauce that was going to be on Dean’s taste buds for a week. The music shifted and a few couples got up to dance. Sam smiled at the floor, and then at Eva, and they were quickly up and away.

“Go ahead and get dessert,” Sam said as he was led away. As soon as they made it to the floor, he gave Eva a twirl and pulled her tight against his chest. Dean chuckled.

“Damn, they look good together,” he said. Charlie leaned forward over the table.

“Right? Total power couple,” she said. “Plus, I kinda like her.” Dean nodded absently.

“Yeah, he should try to keep her around,” Dean said. “Maybe take her out on a real date. Where they don’t get wasted.” Everyone laughed at that. Cas leaned over.

“Do you want to dance?” he whispered in Dean’s ear. Dean shifted in his chair.

“Let’s get dessert,” he said. Cas gave him a hard look but nodded amiably. Charlie and Hannah, it seemed, made a similar call. Instead of getting different things, they each got crème brûlée. None one present had ever had it before, so it seemed like the fair choice. Although, after the actually _flaming_ Flaming Alaska walked past once, Dean felt maybe he’d made the wrong call. As soon as the waiters came around and cleared off the table, Charlie squeezed Hannah’s hand.

“Care to dance, beautiful?” she asked. Hannah smiled and stood, drawing both of them to their feet.

“I would like nothing more,” she said. They started walking towards the floor and Charlie turned to give a quick thumbs up to Dean, which he returned weakly. Once they were actually on the floor, Hannah looked less sure. Charlie took the hint and began to lead.

“Just follow the music, and follow me,” she said. Hannah smiled at her as they stepped back and forth.

“Anywhere,” she said. Charlie rolled her eyes but blushed.

“Ah, the sentimental type. Very dangerous,” she said. She arched her eyebrow and Hannah gave a light laugh. She leaned forward and breathed against Charlie’s ear, much the way she had earlier.

“You have no idea,” she said. It was heavy and wet and Charlie’s knees felt weak for a minute. Dean had just not taken the right liberties with Cas, apparently, because Hannah seemed to be picking up the human thing just fine, thank you very much. Cas had taken, what, six years? Charlie just figured that was what you got when you were landed with emotionally constipated Winchesters as your human teachers. Then Hannah grabbed her tightly around the waist, dipped her, and then brought her back up to plant a kiss on her lips and Charlie stopped thinking for a while.

Dean and Cas took their time at the table. Dean grew more agitated with every passing minute. He fiddled with the little cloth napkin at his place and swallowed champagne deeply with every drink. He felt the bubbles in his stomach mix with the butterflies and felt like he might explode.

“You don’t have to dance if you don’t want to,” Cas said. They had been in silence for so long his voice startled Dean.

“Oh, no, it’s fine,” Dean blurted. “I totally want to dance. Very excited.” He took another sip of his drink.

“That is very apparent by your panicked sitting,” Cas said, dryly. Dean breathed out of his nose heavily.

“Asshole,” he muttered. Cas took Dean’s hand and brought it to his mouth for a kiss, lightly, on the knuckles.

“If you aren’t comfortable, then I would never want to push you,” he murmured. Dean fell back into his chair, not releasing Cas’s hand.

“I’m no dancer, Cas,” he said. Cas’s lip upturned.

“And I am?” he asked. Dean snorted.

“Do you want to dance, Cas?” he asked, hesitantly. Cas considered the question, and then looked out at the floor before turning his gaze back to Dean.

"I would like to dance with _you,_ ” he said. Dean face crinkled into a smile at that.

“Then let’s go,” he said. “But no promises that I won’t embarrass both of us.”

“Noted,” Cas laughed. The song changed, shifting from the upbeat tones to a more slow number. Good, Dean could probably handle slow. He pulled Cas out onto the floor, ignoring the smug grins he got from both Sam and Charlie on the way. Once they arrived in the middle of the floor, Dean pulled Cas against him and put one hand on his waist and the other in Cas’s grasp.

Cas seemed to understand, because he immediately snaked his own arm around Dean’s waist. Dean’s whole body released all the tension he had been holding as soon as Cas had hold of him. He leaned his head down so their heads were lined up and then rested his chin on Cas’s shoulder. They swayed to the music, Dean leading Cas where the angel wasn’t sure how to follow the tempo. He was a fast learner.

“This is nice,” Cas said, lowly.

“It’s perfect,” Dean responded. The song gradually drew closer to the end, and Dean began to dread letting go. He pulled Cas tighter to him. Just as the song ended, a flash went off. Dean spun both of them in the direction of the light and ended up glaring at Sam, who had his phone out and had just snapped a picture. His brother waved the phone in the air triumphantly and placed it back in his pocket. He swept Eva into a turn abruptly so Sam was no longer looking Dean’s way. But just as they turned, Dean caught a glance at Eva, who was also giving him a smug grin. Damn, Sam really had picked one. Against his better judgment, he honestly liked her. He made a promise to himself to snap a picture of them together later. For sentimentality’s sake.

After a few more dances, the night was drawing to a close and the band packed up. The group made their way back together just in time to say their goodnights and then float apart again. They all knew the others wanted alone time that night. Sam and Eva took off in the direction of Eva’s room and Dean could do nothing but fondly shake his head.

Hannah and Charlie were both laughing when they exited. As soon as they got out of the ballroom, they sat down and peeled off their heels with nearly orgasmic sighs. Which drew more laughter from each of them. Then they hiked up their dressed, grabbed hands, and ran up the glass staircases. They blew past other couples, occasionally shouting sorry back as they passed. Finally, they got the pool. There was no one around, and the pool was only lit up with a couple of the colorful lights from beneath the water so it glowed purple. The both collapsed onto the deck and put their feet in the pool, careful to keep their dresses out of the water. Charlie leaned back on her hands and looked up at the sky as she kicked in the water.

“This is what we did our first night,” she said. Hannah reached over and grabbed her hand before leaning back and looking up at the stars also.

“I like this more than the first night,” Hannah said. Charlie smiled. She tilted her head down and leaned over towards Hannah. She pressed her lips softly against Hannah’s and made a small noise when Hannah immediately opened her mouth to allow Charlie to kiss her more deeply. They sat like that for a while, feet kicking in the pool as they kissed, before Charlie pulled back. She bit her lip.

“I like it more than the first night, too,” she said. She licked her lips. “So,” she said, trying to sound saucy, “Would you perhaps like to come back to my room?” Hannah responded by crushing against her in a more aggressive kiss. Charlie grinned into her mouth.

Best. Vacation. Ever.

Meanwhile, Dean and Cas shimmied off in the own direction. They found their way out to the deck, looking over the edge of the huge boat. Dean trailed his fingers over Cas’s arms as they looked.

“I’m glad you made me dance,” Dean said.

“I’m glad you danced.” They both chuckled. Their lonely spot overlooking the ocean didn’t last for long, as all the stragglers from the ballroom quickly joined them.  Dean didn’t mind. As long as he was stroking Cas’s arm and he could feel Cas looking at him the way he was, he would feel like they were alone. Then the last person Dean could have guessed walked on deck with a microphone. Bart, in a more reserved tux jacket.

“We want to thank everyone for spending this week with us!” Bart shouted into the mic. There was a loud splattering of applause and cheering. “Now, to conclude our cruise, everyone is encouraged to turn their attention to the skies.” He bowed and handed his mic off to an assistant. Dean heard music begin to play over the speakers. Above them, there was a loud boom that cracked across the sky. An explosion of color erupted in front of the stars and trailed downwards like water droplets.

“Fireworks,” Dean said. He almost laughed. Fireworks. The ones that had always reminded him of Sam and spending a night nearly burning down a field. There weren’t as many tonight, just a few. But they were loud and bright and colorful and they reflected across Cas’s face to highlight all the little contours that Dean loved so much. Instead of looking at the sky, he looked at his angel. And as the last few fireworks cracked across the sky, Dean leaned forward and captured Cas’s lips with his own, feeling the boom in their hearts more than hearing it explode above them.

Cheering erupted around them and, even though Dean knew it was for the fireworks, he liked to think it was for them.

 

**ONE WEEK LATER**

 

“Guys!” Dean yelled from the war room. “I got it all set up!” The projector was all ready to go, screen frozen on the image of his desktop photo. He was excited. It was finally time to get everyone together to look. It wasn’t exactly a slide show, but there were pictures. And music. So maybe it was a slide show and Dean was a sap, but whatever. He was a sap in love. And speaking of that. Cas came up behind him without warning and snaked his arms around Dean’s middle, pulling them close together. Dean craned his head and kissed the little patch of skin below Cas’s ear.

“Hey there,” he said with a smile.

“Hello, Dean,” Cas said. Dean chuckled at the old greeting.

“Ugh, I leave you for two minutes,” Charlie’s voice said from the doorway. Dean flipped her off and Cas kissed the back of Dean’s neck in protest. Charlie made a disgusted noise.

"Oh, sure, Pot,” he said. “I’ll just be over here making out with Kettle.”

“Touché,” Charlie said. Hannah walked into the room just in time, sinking into the chair next to Charlie. She placed a kiss on Charlie’s head before she sat and Dean raised an eyebrow as if to say ‘point proved’.

“Coming!” Sam yelled from down the hall. He ran in with a couple foil dishes of Easy Pop and a six pack. He put them both on the table and Dean reached for the six pack first, deftly removing the cap. “Sorry, I was wrapping up a call.”

“Ah, and how is Eva?” Charlie asked. Sam reddened.

“She’s good,” he said. “We’re gonna, uh, meet up next week.”

“You’re driving all the way to Florida?” Dean asked in a shocked voice. Sam shook his head.

“No, more like a meet-in-the-middle kind of thing,” he said. He looked bashful.

“Tell her we all said hello,” Cas said with a smile. Sam bit his lip but his cheeks pinched up in a small laugh.

“Of course,” he said.

“Alright, is everyone ready?” Dean asked, turning attention back to the task at hand. He rubbed his hands together when he received the universal affirmative. Sam collapsed into his chair at the end of the table. “Ok, here we go.” He pressed play on the song and everyone but Sam burst into laughter. The beginning strains of _I Wanna Know What Love Is_ played loudly over Dean’s new little laptop speakers. Sam’s face reddened and he glared at Dean, who just grinned cheekily.

The first picture flashed up onscreen, a little image that Charlie had asked someone to take at the airport. All of them were in it, lined up with their little suitcases. Charlie and Sam were beaming, Hannah and Cas both wore tiny smiles, and Dean looked like he might be sick. It was one of the only pictures of all of them on the whole trip, and Dean kinda loved it. The pictures continued to flash up on the screen. One of Hannah with a plate full of food and a grin on her face. One of Cas looking dubiously at a stand that sold large hats on the beach. A great shot of Hannah and Charlie beaming in front of a waterfall after their first kiss. Eventually, Sam spoke up.

“Does it have to be this song?” he asked. Dean grinned, preparing himself for the shit storm.

“Just wait until I play the video,” he said. He barely ducked in time to miss the bottle cap Sam hurled at him, but it was worth it. Finally, the last picture faded up onto the projector screen. The last day. All of them were lined up in front of the railing on the boat and the harbor could be seen in the background. Charlie was leaning around Hannah, her arms wrapped around the angel’s waist, and they both had their mouths open wide in laughter. Dean had one arm slung over Sam’s shoulders, and one slung around Cas’s waist. They all looked totally and utterly happy. Dean flicked the lights on and took a swig of his beer.

“So,” he asked, “What did you all think?” Everyone was still looking at the picture smiling, so Cas was the one to speak up. He moved back behind Dean and kissed his head before wrapping his arms around Dean’s neck carefully.

“Perfect,” he said. Dean grinned. Yeah, it really was.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh my god, that's it. That's the end. I officially finished publishing NaNoWriMo. I'm so happy. Thanks to Janel for forcing me through it. Love you, darling ;)  
> You should totally follow me on [tumblr](http://preparetobemildlyentertained.tumblr.com/). You know, if you want.  
> Finally, if you enjoyed, please leave a comment. I would love to hear if people loved this. I'm pretty fond of it, and I hope other people are too. Thanks for reading!!!


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